It’s official: Cyanogen moving to 'modular'

We recently caught wind that controversial Cyanogen CEO Kirt McMaster was stepping down from his role after the company famously failed to “put a bullet through Google’s head.” McMaster had originally made that claim in reference to Cyanogen’s ambitions to create a fully independent operating system free of Google’s allegedly tyrannical control. Now it appears that Cyanogen will be taking a very different approach.

In a blog post released today, new CEO Lior Tal outlines the future of Cyanogen:

In keeping with our common mission of creating a truly open, collaborative and unrestricted Android platform, we are today announcing a new Cyanogen Modular OS program. It is designed to achieve the original objective of an open and smarter Android without the limitations of requiring the full Cyanogen OS stack and individual device bring-ups.

Tal says that this new vision of Android will help address increasing concerns regarding security with the ongoing fragmentation of the ecosystem, a side effect of the platform’s natural diversity.

For those of you wondering where Kirt McMaster has gone, he’ll still be with Cyanogen serving as an Executive Chairman of the Board. Steve Kondik, Cyanogen’s co-founder, will be taking up a new role as Chief Science Officer. So just like Cyanogen’s vision for the future of Android, all the same pieces are here, they’ve just been shuffled around.

This will be interesting to watch going forward, as Google has essentially taken the opposite stance with the Google Pixel, formalizing the operating system with a single monolithic vision that many have compared to Apple’s iPhone.

What are your thoughts regarding Cyanogen’s shift to a modular approach to the OS? Will this allow them to regain their previous more formidable footing in the Android ecosystem? Let us know your take in the comments below!