HTC phone supremo leaves months after Google guts firm for best and brightest

Chialin Chang, president of smartphones at HTC, has resigned. No successor has been announced. Taiwanese press spotted the announcement in the regulatory paperwork, subsequently confirmed officially. After Google acquired some 2,000 HTC engineers, senior HTC staff told The Register the company still had a team of around 2,000 …

[tentimes]

What a shame

Does that mean they won't be actually making phones anymore at HTC? Such a shame. HTC virtually invented the original smartphones which were used by carriers to entice customers in. They then went out on their own with a string of great phones. I think they were the first ones with a real smartphone, not Apple.

[Test Man]

Re: What a shame

Google didn't buy the entire phone division, only the ones that worked on the Pixel phones, so yes they will continue to make phones, but with significantly pared-down staff.

Depending on your viewpoint, it might actually be a good thing, considering the same staff (might have) produced the likes of the M9, 10, U 11, etc. Maybe they need a fresh set of people.

[tentimes]

Re: What a shame

The main guy is gone now though, the person that drove it and it is looking pretty gutted. I will be watching to see what HTC's next release is. Unless they can get the price down on the Vive, I think they are in trouble.

[Steve Davies 3]

Does this mean...

That Google is going to copy Microsoft and what it did with Nokia?

and people on /. think Google is the most innovative tech company... Sheesh.

[A Non e-mouse]

Re: Does this mean...

Google already has form in this arena: Motorola.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Does this mean...

The HTC acquihire is different from Motorola, in the sense that Motorola was owned by Google, but its employees were still working for Motorola. Those HTC employees are now working for Google, and HTC is a separate company doing its own thing.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Does this mean...

How many mobile phone companies has MS partnered/ bought over the last 20 years and what are their names? I think its a dozen, they all died.

[jelabarre59]

...the "Alfa Romeo" of phones...

Really? I thought HTC was supposed to be good? Not overly-flashy designed and prone to breakage.