After three and a half years of working as the vice president of international division for Chinese tech giant Xiaomi, Hugo Barra announced his departure from the company. Barra added that he will be working back in Silicon Valley, which he considers as his home.
In a statement acquired by CNet, Barra wrote, "What I've realized is that the last few years of living in such a singular environment have taken a huge toil on my life and started affecting my health. My friends, what I consider to be my home, and my life are back in Silicon Valley, which is also much closer to my family."
As a response to Barra's latest decision, Xiaomi co-founder and president Bin Lin thanked Barra for his service adding that Barra's vacated position will be filled by Xiang Wang, the company's current senior vice president.
Lin added that Xiaomi and Barra will not be parting ways completely. As the president said, Barra will still act as his advisor.
Xiaomi was on the verge of international stardom when Barra took the reins back in August 2013. Barra was one of the main driver towards Xiaomi's international debut. To put things into perspective, Xiaomi was able to sell 7.5 million smartphone units in 2012. Two years later, under Barra's guidance, the company was able to ship 61 million units which represented a massive growth of nearly 800 percent.
On the other hand, despite Xiaomi's growth in Asia and Europe, the company was not able to establish its presence in the United States. Xiaomi chief executive officer Lei Jun attested to this stating that the company's expansion was far too hasty and unsustainable, according to Engadget.
Xiaomi's market presence in the United States can only be backed by the release of the Mi Box set-top box. Despite being tagged as a smartphone company, Xiaomi has yet to make its presence known the U.S. smartphone industry.