I remember life creating the Open Web advocacy team at Google in
building 44. The same building that the Android team was in, as they
worked night and day.
Google was a web company, and it felt strange to me as I saw Android
go down such a different path. They had their reasons, and who am I to
argue with their success, but man it felt wrong. The default browser
SUCKED. They held off the Chrome team for some time here too, and it
all lead to me leaving for Mozilla, and then to Palm to try to show
that the Web was capable via webOS. It drives me nuts that we didn’t
showcase the Web as well as we should have there.
My history makes me reflect on today’s news with anticipation. No, not
the news of a new pope who is trying to unify an organization in real trouble, but that of a coming together of Android and Chrome through a
unified leader in Sundar Pichai.
The optimist in me is very excited indeed. Gone are the barriers
between those two worlds at Google. Sundar has a chance to bring a new
world order that brings the best of both worlds, and one without the
same politics and baggage.
Here’s to seeing that happen. The Web isn’t there yet, but it can be,
and it is worth fighting for as is a democracy in a land.
Here’s to a shiny Chrome Android.