CEO of division that makes camera functions for Pixel phones leaves Google

Computer science professor Marc Levoy no longer works at Google. Levoy led the camera software team in Google’s Pixel division and in that role was responsible for features such as HDR+ and Night Sight.

Levoy left Google in March, he writes on his LinkedIn page. He has worked at the search giant for over five years, during which time Google has set the trend with its camera software. Other manufacturers, including Apple, Samsung and Huawei, have copied features such as HDR+ and Night Sight to a lesser or greater extent.

Levoy’s team was the first to make the switch to computational photography, where the camera no longer takes a single frame as its starting point, but where the software composes the photo from multiple frames taken in quick succession.

Levoy was highly regarded by Google and showcased new camera features from the Pixel 4 in the keynote at its announcement last October. It’s unknown why he left, who will succeed him, and if that means a change in strategy. Another CEO of Google’s Pixel division, Mario Queroz, left last year. Reportedly, hardware chief Rick Osterloh criticized the Pixel 4 phones, including the limited battery capacity of the models.

Levoy at presentation Pixel 4