"Former member of the Android team here. Honestly, Hugo leaving isn't a very big deal at all as he never really contributed much to Android (or Google in general). He started as middle management under Vic, based in London, when the Android and Mobile teams were two separate entities.<p>No one really wanted Hugo, and it was weird that he ended up on the Android team to begin with. He was pretty much a figurehead as Andy was the one really running the show.<p>The Android team is big enough these days with solid leadership (Dave Burke, etc.) that a single person leaving (other than Andy of course), isn't going to change much in the day to day operation of Android."<p>-- former member of Android team.<p><a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1laqjr/androids_hugo_barra_departs_google_for_chinas/cbxggjk" rel="nofollow">http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1laqjr/androids_hug...</a>
3 things that the VP of Android could conceivably know that could confer a material advantage to Xiaomi (and/or a disadvantage to other OEMs):<p>1) Google's future strategic plans for Android (itself and in relation to Chrome)<p>2) knowledge of what some big OEMs are working on (esp likely re: Nexus hardware)<p>3) the roadmap for Motorola (corporate "firewall" between Google and Motorola being, well, less than robust...)<p>he could know all of these, some of them, or even none of them. But it is certainly not outside the bounds of possibility that he could know these things.
There have been rumors about love quadrangles in the news(other sources).<p>I'd like to think this is complete nonsense, but my life experiences say it's certainly possible.<p>Seems like these guys should have more than enough women chasing their money to not have to squabble over any one in particular.