Ahead of the Pixel 4 launch, Pixel leader leaves team for new Google gig

According to Axios today, Mario Queiroz departed from his position as general manager of Google’s Pixel smartphone business. Based on an update to his LinkedIn profile, Queiroz now has a new job in the office of Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

Since the original Pixel phone launched in 2016, Queiroz has been involved in Google’s mobile projects as recent as the Pixel 3a. He also led development of other projects, such as the Chromecast, Google Home, and Stadia.

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It’s still unknown what exactly Queiroz will do, but his move within Google comes at an interesting time. The company is expected to launch the Pixel 4 phones sometime in October. Pixel 3 sales weren’t nearly as high as Google had hoped, though the Pixel 3a recently helped eclipse expectations. Google hopes that the Pixel 4 continues the sales momentum started by the Pixel 3a.

For the time being, Google hardware chief Rick Osterloh will directly oversee the Pixel business. We don’t know if Google plans to bring in a replacement for Queiroz or make Osterloh the permanent Pixel head. Regardless, Osterloh has quite the job ahead of him given the Pixel 4’s expectations.