Google exec says Android was best acquisition ever

Lawee made the remark at a panel at the 16th annual Stanford Accel Symposium, a conference organized by the university and venture-capital firm Accel Partners.

Lawee said that when Google buys a company, it’s up to the entrepreneurs behind that company to make it a success. Google quietly acquired Android in 2005 for an undisclosed price which has been estimated at $50 million. (Google’s annual report for 2005 says the company spent a total of $130 million on acquisitions that year.)

“I saw this guy in my building for two years, walking his dog, and I was like, I hope this guy does something,” said Lawee of Rubin. Despite Lawee’s initial skepticism, Rubin stayed at Google to champion the development of Android as an open-source operating system. It is now one of the top platforms for high-end smartphones, competing successfully with Apple’s iPhone.