Mountain View, California — “Certainly the economic recession has dramatically slowed hiring at Google — as well as the charm to hold on to some of its existing ones.” Google on Tuesday lost its key engineering director, “Steve Horowitz,” who helped oversee the development of the Android mobile operating system to join Coupons Inc., a software maker, as Chief Technology Office, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Coupons Inc., which develops software to assist marketers create, distribute and track coupons, on Tuesday announced that it has appointed Steven Horowitz, as its chief technology officer.
Horrowitz’s move comes on the heels of a latest move by Dipchand Nishar, former VP of products, who left Google for social networking site LinkedIn. Andy Rubin, the Google exec who has been leading the Android effort recruited Horrowitz in February 2006.
In an interview with the Journal, Horrowitz stated that after “spending so much time and energy” on Android, it was time to move on. He added that the current downturn has actually accelerated business at Coupons, making it a particularly good time for him to move. In fact, he said Coupons plans to hire 40 new employees by the end of next month.
In his new role, Horowitz will manage the company’s worldwide engineering, product management and technology efforts to expand its scope.
“Our business is experiencing unprecedented growth, and as we extend our digital promotions platform to in-store, in-appliance and mobile phones, this is the ideal time for Steve to bring his deep experience to our team,” said Steven R. Boal, founder of Coupons, Inc.
“Steve is a business-minded, consumer-focused and battle-tested technology leader, and I could not be more thrilled that he is joining our team.”
For the past three years, Horowitz has been one of the Google’s leading lights on Android project, developing the Linux-based operating system from the ground up, and his reputation could only make Coupons happy.
However, speculation is rife that with the operating system largely finished he was looking for a new position.
“Coupons.com has fast become one of the world’s leading online brands, so this is a very exciting opportunity,” said Horowitz.
“The company is at a crucial stage in its business, and I am eager to help further advance its development and deployment of new platforms and services for digital promotions.”
A Google spokeswoman said in a statement that the company wishes “Steve the best of luck” and thanks “him for all of his contributions.”
Horowitz, 41, remains enthusiastic about Android, which allows phones to run advanced entertainment and productivity services, like maps and games. However, he states that it is “at the beginning of transforming the mobile industry.”
Still, some analysts and industry executives wonder how much reward the effort will reap for Google. His departure comes at an awkward time for the Android team, the Journal says: after focusing on releasing the first version of the software late last year, the team is now focused on making it work with a greater variety of phones and other devices, especially netbooks, which are a kind of low-end, light weight, portable computer.
At Coupons, Horowitz plans to work on its mobile offering while eyeing other distribution channels as well. These days even kitchen appliances can be connected to the Internet, he notes. “Our goal is to get ahead.”
Before Google, Horowitz had worked with Microsoft for almost 9 years, after starting his job at Apple Computer Inc.