In the years 2017-2018, Google acquired a significant number of mobile division employees from HTC, totaling 2,000 individuals, to join the Pixel development team. Leveraging the experience of the HTC team deeply rooted in smartphone technology. On the flip side, HTC shifted their focus from the competitive smartphone business to the VR/AR realm with their Vive line.
Fast forward several years, Google announced the acquisition of a select number of engineers from the HTC Vive team (exact number undisclosed) to join the Android XR team, as Google revisits their interest in the field. Google succinctly stated that the acquisition was partly due to the VR expertise they possess and the intention to integrate them into the Android XR team for future developments.
TLDR: Google made strategic acquisitions of employees from HTC’s mobile division and later from the Vive team to strengthen their positions in the Pixel and Android XR projects, respectively.
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