Motorola VP of Product Management Punit Soni Announces Departure

Motorola Mobility's VP of Product Management, and for many in the tech industry the face of the company, Punit Soni is leaving the former Google-owned company, the latest high-ranking top boss to depart.

Soni on Wednesday announced his departure from Motorola in a Google+ post without revealing his next job. For those unaware, Soni joined Motorola after Google acquired the company back in 2011.

In a Google+ blog post, Soni revealed some of his cherished memories at the company with his favourite being, the unveiling of the Moto G last year.

He said, "My favourite moment at Motorola was when I was up on stage at the Moto G launch in Brazil, looking into the eyes of the audience, proud to be talking about a product that we fervently believed in, that was built with true user value as its core tenet that embodied the best of the new Motorola's principles. I still remember the verve, the energy and the passion."

Notably, Soni is the second high-ranking Motorola executive to exit the company this year. First being, the head of Motorola, Dennis Woodside, who announced his exit from the smartphone maker to become chief operating officer at the online storage firm, Dropbox.

Google's senior vice president Jonathan Rosenberg then took the post of Motorola chief operating officer on April 1 this year.

It's worth noting that Lenovo, earlier this year, announced to buy Google's Motorola handset division for $2.91 billion, in what was China's biggest-ever deal. The acquisition is yet to be approved by necessary regulatory bodies.

Check out Punit Soni's complete Google+ farewell post.

Thanks

I still remember the first time I went to Libertyville, Illinois to visit the Motorola Campus. There was this sense of awe at being in a company whose invention, the cell phone, would forever change the world.

For the next couple of years, we worked hard to marry the agility of a modern internet services company with the legacy of the greatest telecommunications company in the world. We crafted a new portfolio of products, we rebuilt our software stack, we launched the Moto X, then G and then E. Motorola is now firmly on the path of regaining its place as one of the most relevant companies of the mobile era.

Today I am announcing my departure from Motorola after a couple of amazing years in the best job I have ever had.

I have had the fortune of working with an amazing Product team under the leadership of Rick Osterloh, someone who taught me more about being a leader than anyone ever has. Also special gratitude to Vic Gundotra, Bradley Horowitz, Jonathan Rosenberg, Dennis Woodside, and Lior Ron for their support and for pointing me in the right direction. This gig was not possible without them. To my Software PM team who I love, stay true to the mission. And to Motorolans, you are truly the best mobile team in the world. It is reflected in the quality of your products.

And finally, thanks to you, the users who embraced our work and personally supported me. Most of our software was the result of the direct dialogue we had with each other. Thanks for your patience and support.

My favourite moment at Motorola was when I was up on stage at the Moto G launch in Brazil, looking into the eyes of the audience, proud to be talking about a product that we fervently believed in, that was built with true user value as its core tenet, that embodied the best of the new Motorola's principles. I still remember the verve, the energy and the passion.

The rest of my career will be about recapturing that. Thank you Motorola.