Google Finally Combined All Messaging Teams Into One Under Soltero

Today Google announced a bit of a leadership change in messaging, texting, and communication apps. Google's latest change puts the Message, Duo, and Android phone app teams together with the combined team of Google Meet and Google Chat, under a single all-encompassing bit of leadership. This should, ideally, make for a system with which Android users can finally trust that Google will stick with, and develop, and not abandon in any way, shape, or form. UPDATE: Not so fast, it might not be that simple or easy.

The original report suggested that Google's Javier Soltero would be the head of all the communications apps and teams and such. Soltero was hired by Google in October of 2019 (per Axios) to head up G Suite. Soltero arrived upon the scene with the startup Acompli, an email app that Microsoft acquired and turned into the mobile version of Outlook. Before being hired by Google, he was in charge of running Cortana.

Google hired Soltero to be a leader with G Suite, Google Meet, and Google Chat. Todays news suggests Soltero was also put in charge of Google Messages, Google Duo, and the official Google phone app for Android – and the developer teams therein. Today's news was reported first by The Verge and cites a message as "Google's full statement" as such.

"We are bringing all of Google's collective communication products together under one leader and unified team that will be led by Javier Soltero, VP and GM of G Suite," said a Google representative. "Javier will remain in Cloud, but will also join the leadership team under Hiroshi Lockheimer, SVP of Platforms and Ecosystems."

It would appear now that while each of these apps will (probably) remain separate, the overall vision will become simpler, and aligned. Soltero suggested that the goal is to make it easier for a Google user to use each of these communications and messaging apps and services, without necessarily making all the apps and services into one, single force.