I'm leaving #Google: https://www.mayrhofer.eu.org/post/leaving-google/

While I believe that I have been able to do some good with my continuing (part-time) engagement in the Android security and privacy team since returning to Austria a couple of years ago, the deal with the US #DoW is completely misaligned with my personal ethical principles. I will, therefore, no longer be able to act as a contact point to Google-internal teams and discussions, but will continue our research on private digital identity, end-to-end secure communication and storage, network privacy, (embedded/mobile) operating system security, supply chain transparency, etc. from a purely academic point of view. Android - and in particular AOSP - will remain a research interest, so please feel free to reach out on any of those topics for potential collaborations or discussions on the academic side.

Why I’m Forced to Say Farewell: Google Management Has Lost Its Moral Compass | René Mayrhofer

I am forced to leave Google with 2026-08-31 because of the deal with the US Department of War, which is incompatible with my ethical principles.

René Mayrhofer
@rene_mobile It's sad but very understandable that it had to come to this. It was always comforting to know that someone with your values was on the inside of Android.
@brnhrd Thank you for your kind words! There are still very good people on the team - this was a personal choice not about the team, but the top-level company management.

@rene_mobile Thank you very much for your hard work for #Android #security so far with Google.

I have deep respect for your decision as well as your open communication. Looking forward to your future contributions. 🙇

#AOSP

@rene_mobile back when I studied at TU Wien Google was basically the place everyone hoped to work at one day. Fairly sure that is not the case anymore