The Man Behind #Android 's Rise

At the core of #Google Inc.'s $12.5 billion #Motorola deal is Silicon Valley engineer Andy Rubin, who in six years has reordered the wireless market and positioned the Internet giant as a central player in it.

Mr. Rubin, 48 years old, has changed Google's organizational structure and become one of the most powerful people at the company. Under his leadership, the operating system known as Android has become the most widely used software on smartphones—surpassing the creations of Apple Inc. and Nokia Corp.—and powering tablets from many companies.