Tawdry news reports are rocking the tech blogs today regarding Google Glass Product Manager Amanda Rosenberg and Google Principal Sergey Brin’s after-hours activities. While relationships spawning in dev life cycles are old news for anyone who’s spent any time in technology, Brin’s high profile marriage (and now separation) promise to distract the conversation from wearable technology, and into the sexual foibles of the power players in Silicon Valley.
Rosenberg was most recently connected to Hugo Barra, the Vice President of Android who perhaps not coincidentally recently left Google for Chinese phone startup Xiaomi (seen together above in a photo from last year). 23andMe co-founder Anne Wojcicki can’t be thrilled, as the tech news cycle will now be focused on her and Brin’s breakup as opposed to the work she’s trying to accomplish, but with stories coming out that the two have been living apart for months, it’s unlikely that tech blogs will be interested in anything else.
Rosenberg and Brin have been seen often together in high profile public scenarios, so it’s safe to assume that the recent San Fran transplant isn’t scared of a little limelight surrounding their relationship, although it will be interesting to see to what level Brin will acknowledge the relationship, given the high profile love fests we’ve seen from other Google associated power players.
Brin has always been one to challenge convention, stating earlier this year:
“I like going to Burning Man, for example. An environment where people can try new things. I think as technologists we should have some safe places where we can try out new things and figure out the effect on society.”
We’ll find out in the coming weeks if Mountain View is a safe place when it comes to something as cliche as banging the hot new hire in your product management division. As a Glass Explorer, I can only hope we don’t see a messy exit to the person who created “OK, Glass”, while the tabloids have their way with the two. No matter the outcome, the focus this week in Silicon Valley will be undeniably focused on Brin and Rosenberg, and how gracefully they navigate the muddy waters of a tech press focused on their infidelities.
“Strangely fitting that the company trying hardest to robotize our lives is getting ripped apart by the simplest of Maslow’s needs.
— Dan Frommer (@fromedome)”