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Essay / Andy Rubin - The man who saved Android
Today, Android is the operating system installed on 85% of mobile devices and the heart of a multi-million dollar industry, but it was a time when Android was just an idea, and a time when not everyone had confidence in its success. Today, on the tenth anniversary of the first official release of Android, we return to the year 2004, when Android was still in diapers. This Android, then an operating system for digital cameras, did not really convince investors. The future of Android hangs by a thread or, more precisely, $10,000. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an original essayBeginnings are never easyDigital cameras were the initial destination, but in 2004, the growth of the camera industry photo started to decline, so Andy Rubin recycled the idea. Five months later, Andy was talking about Android as an operating system for "handheld devices." The father of Android dreamed of changing the landscape of mobile devices since the year 2000. At that time, major mobile operators controlled the industry with a fist and a closed philosophy. Andy Rubin planned the exact opposite: an open source operating system that anyone could modify and use at no cost. Many thought it was an impossible idea. Taking into account that at the time we were facing giants like Nokia with Symbian or Microsoft with Windows Mobile, we understand the mistrust of investors. According to Business Insider, one investor opined to Andy Rubin that "he should sell at least a million of these things to cover expenses; he's trying to boil the ocean." investor attention to cover costs, the small Android startup, formed not only by Andy Rubin but also by Rich Miner, Nick Sears and Chris White, was not having the best time. The pending payments began to pile up to the point that the office owner began threatening to evict them unless they were informed of the pending payments. That's when a desperate Andy Rubin made an emergency call to his friend Steve Perlman. Andy Rubin and Steve Perlman were known to have worked at Apple in the early 1990s. In addition to Apple, Perlman had worked on creating components for the Megadrive and Super Nintendo consoles, on WebTV (purchased by Microsoft) and since 1999 , he chaired the Rearden technology business incubator (which is still active). In 2004, Steve Perlman received a call from his friend Andy Rubin. Although it was difficult for him to ask for money again, his Android startup was in trouble and he had no choice but to do so. The situation was untenable: liquidity was running out and they were unable to attract new investors. Steve Perlman agreed to transfer money as soon as he could, to which a nervous Andy Rubin responded that "if it can be sooner, the better." With several payments pending, the office owner has been out of work since another delay. It was then that Steve Perlman went to the bank, took $10,000 in cash in about a hundred bills and handed them to Andy Rubin, which the next day was supplemented with a transfer of an unspecified amount. With this money, Andy was able to meet pending payments and continue fighting to keep his startup moving forward. Soon, they managed to gain support from new investors, secure more funding, and move to a larger office in Palo Alto (yes, next to Google). The rest is history. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get now?