2026-11-08
PM Rank #54 · Andy Rubin (86 OVR): Evicted and Broke at 41, He Gave Away His OS for Free and Put It in 3.5 Billion Pockets
No. 54 on the 100 Greatest Product Managers ranking (86 OVR): Andy Rubin, Father of Android. In 2004, at age 41, Rubin went broke building a digital camera OS and needed a $10,000 cash loan from a friend just to avoid eviction. Faced with Apple's closed iPhone fortress, he weaponized free open-source distribution to unite the global handset industry and win 71% of the world's smartphones.
