Google appoints Amazon’s Kindle CEO for its own smartphone department

The site, The Information, reports citing a source within Google that the company hired David Foster on Monday as part of the product development department of its hardware division. He is expected to lead the development of the Pixel phones.

Foster will work under Rick Osterloh, who is in charge of Google’s hardware projects, the site continues. The former Amazon CEO previously worked on the Kindle and Kindle Fire tablets. He did this as head of Lab126, Amazon’s hardware division, where he also worked on the Echo speaker and the Dash products.

Before his time at Amazon, Foster also worked for Microsoft. There he was jointly responsible for the development of the Zune HD, according to his LinkedIn profile. In addition, between 1998 and 2004, Foster was employed by Apple and worked, for example, on the G4 and G5 models of the Cupertino company. Foster’s official title at his new boss Google would be “vice president of product development.”

Google is expected to introduce a number of new products on Tuesday evening, including a new phone line under the name Pixel.