Lei Jun posted on Weibo that he met the world-class master Sundar Pichai, and attached a picture showing the visiting card of Google personnel, proving that he was indeed invited by Sundar Pichai.
Sundar Pichai joined Google in 2004 and has long been in charge of products like Chrome. In March this year, he took over as the president of Google's Android division. Google's CEO Larry Page stated regarding this position change that Pichai’s professional background makes him the only suitable candidate to drive the reform of the operating system.
Google's operating system product line includes the mobile operating system Android and the desktop operating system Chrome OS. Chrome OS is suitable for internet users and is an extension of the Chrome browser. If one wants to integrate the features of Android and Chrome OS, there is no one more suitable than Pichai. Currently, the Chrome ecosystem has not incorporated Android.
The purpose of Lei Jun flying to the U.S. to visit Pichai is unclear; it might just be out of a desire to make friends. However, regardless of the original purpose, as long as they meet and have a genuine conversation, they are bound to discuss topics such as the development of Android, after all, the future development of Android is crucial for both Google and Xiaomi.
Both officially and personally, Lei Jun has a close relationship with Google. The phones produced by Xiaomi, which Lei Jun leads, all run on Google's Android system. Hugo Barra, the former Vice President of Product Management at Google Android, joined Xiaomi at the end of August. Lin Bin, co-founder of Xiaomi, once served as the Deputy Director of the Google China Engineering Research Institute and is now the President of Xiaomi, responsible for the company's daily operations. Another co-founder of Xiaomi, Hong Feng, once served as a senior product manager at Google China and is now the Vice President of Xiaomi Technology.
Due to Lei Jun's history of poaching from Google, many Weibo users joked under his post that he wants to poach someone again.
Speaking of this, there is a widely circulated Silicon Valley gossip. Pichai reportedly tried to leave Google for Twitter in 2011 and had already received an offer, but Google paid him a $50 million bonus to stop him from leaving. This story has never been confirmed as true or false, but judging from the current position of Pichai as the president of Android, his importance to Google is undeniable.