Google is officially the proud owner of the Pixel team. The $1.1 billion deal between Google and HTC resulted in the transfer of 2,000 of HTC’s R&D team over to Google in addition to a licensing agreement which gives Google access to HTC’s intellectual property. Google has not mentioned where its new Taipei team will be housed (we imagine HTC isn’t going to let them keep their desks inside HTC HQ, but Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice President of Hardware at Google is pleased that the deal has closed and that the team will be able to fully focus on the Pixel 3 lineup which is expected to be unveiled in the fall.
As for HTC, the company is still planning on releasing new smartphones and working on VR and AR technologies with its Vive team. The core team which worked on the HTC One and the new HTC U11 family of devices is still intact.
What the Google/HTC deal means for HTC
In fact, the $1.1 billion deal should have a dramatic impact on HTC’s bottom line going forward. By shaving off 2,000 employees from its books, 2018 may be the first time since 2014 that HTC could return to profitability.
