SAN FRANCISCO: Essential Products , a consumer electronics startup founded by the former Google executive Andy Rubin , said on Wednesday that it was ceasing operations.

It released a premium smartphone in 2017 that did not sell well, and it later scrapped plans to develop a smart speaker.

Essential was also dogged by news about Rubin and the circumstances of his departure from Google.

The New York Times reported in 2018 that Google paid Rubin a $90 million exit package after claims of sexual misconduct with an employee were deemed credible.

But interest evaporated, in part because of the risk associated with Rubin’s workplace scandals. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1581591606.172545/Former-Google-executive,-Andy-Rubin’s-startup-shuts-down?ref=audio_experience