Most of Google+ development team shifted to Android

Despite big efforts on Google's part to force everyone to use Google+, the search giant's social network never really reached critical mass and now it seems the role of Google+ will be significantly diminished. TechCrunch reports Vic Gundotra, basically the creator of Google+ and the project's leader, is leaving Google after eight years with the company. It's unclear where he's going nor do we know what this means for Google+ but TechCrunch says the social network is now basically walking dead.

According to two sources, Google reshuffled the teams that used to form the core of Google+. This group consists of up to 1,200 employees and a large part of them will now be working on Android related projects. The search giant claims the news has no impact on the company's Google+ strategy but considering the project leader is gone and most of the project's resources have been stripped away this is a bit hard to believe.

Google+ is and always has been about turning every Google user into a signed-in Google user, period. If true, these changes dovetail with that focus going forward, with Google+ acting as a backbone rather than a front-end service. That being said, there are a ton of really interesting things going on in Google+ like its efforts in imaging. Having the photos team integrate the technologies backing Google+ photos tightly into the Android camera product, for instance, could be a net win for Android users.