We reported yesterday on a rumor that Kevin Rose and his team at Milk had been hired by Google. They were just rumors yesterday and I bet that there would be an official announcement within a few days. It seems I won that bet if you count a Google+ post as an official announcement.
Kevin Rose updated everybody on the situation on his Google+ profile today by confirming that him and the Milk team were hired by Google. Here’s the announcement in full:
I’m beyond excited to announce that the Milk crew (+Kevin Rose +Daniel Burka +Chris Hutchins +Joshua Lane) is joining Google! It’s been a privilege to use Google products over the years (I still remember begging for a Gmail invite) and I can’t wait to be a part of the amazing team that is shaping the future of the web. 🙂
That’s the full announcement and we’re still none the wiser as to what Rose and the Milk team will be doing at Google. We do know that he and the team are fresh off of shutting down their app, Oink, that failed to ignite the social environment.
Bradley Horowitz, VP of Product for Google+, also confirmed the news via his Google+ profile and had nothing new to say except how great of a guy Rose was:
“It’s with excitement that I can confirm the rumors that +Kevin Rose +Daniel Burka (and other Milk folks) have joined Google!
I’ve had a chance to get to know Kevin and Daniel a bit over the years, and have been truly impressed with the quality, depth and thoughtfulness of their work. They’re going to fit in really well here, and I’m excited to welcome them to Google!”
A Google spokesperson issued WebProNews this statement on the matter:
“Kevin Rose has an incredible track record of executing on big ideas, and we’re looking forward to working with him and his team from Milk on our social efforts across Google.”
The announcements taking place on Google+ and Google telling us that Rose will be working on “social efforts” within the company seem to suggest that he and the Milk team will be working on Google+ in some capacity. What he will be doing exactly is still a mystery. I’m sure more will be revealed in the coming days and weeks.
