Hugo Barra announced Sunday night that he plans to step down as head of international efforts for Xiaomi, the once fast-growing Chinese phone maker.
Hugo Barra is leaving his post at Chinese phone maker Xiaomi
The former Google executive had been in charge of the company’s international expansion.
Ina Fried for Recode
Barra, who joined Xiaomi from Google in 2013, said in a post on Facebook that he plans to return to the U.S. and will remain an adviser to Xiaomi.
“As I thought about this late last year, I concluded that Xiaomi is in a very good place on its global expansion path, and if there was ever going to be a good time for me to come back home, that time is now — when I can confidently say our global business is no longer just an in-house startup,” Barra wrote.
The Chinese company has seen its growth slow in its home market and, while it built up a sizable business in India, has also struggled to duplicate the success it enjoyed in China.
In a recent annual letter, Xiaomi Chairman Lei Jun highlighted the company’s progress in India, but also described 2016 as “a year in which we took time to catch our breaths and slow our rapid pace to make essential adjustments to our business that will enable us to go further.”
Barra said he plans to leave Xiaomi in February, after the Chinese New Year. “I will take some much-needed time off before embarking on a new adventure back in Silicon Valley.”
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
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