Take a look at the history of Cyanogen Inc. in the light of recent events and several years of frustrations and answer some important questions.
The smartphone world is defined by duality. On one side of the scale, we have a tied hand and foot iOS that looks and feels the same every time. On the other, Android, an open source operating system that can represent completely different things to different people. Last year iOS and Android occupied 96% of the smartphone market, and the remaining four percent fit smartphones at Windows.
Today it is very easy to forget that CyanogenMod was a major player in the market Android (for enthusiasts and community members, this trend is still relevant). Responsible parent company Cyanogen Inc. had big plans to conquer the world Android with a more commercialized version of the community-created OS mod. There was a time when Cyanogen and Android were almost the same in terms of smartphones, at least among the many devoted fans, but those days are long gone.
Cyanogen's popularity grew rapidly and there was talk of a 'big game' within the company. In retrospect, it can be understood that many of the company's ambitions never materialized. The fate of the company as a whole has acquired a rather ambiguous character. Take a look at the history of Cyanogen Inc. in the light of recent events and several years of frustrations and answer some important questions. Why didn't the company manage to bring its plans to life? What is the company doing today? What does the future hold for her? At what stage did it go wrong?
A confident start with community support
Before Cyanogen Inc. only CyanogenMod (CM) existed. If you've never used it, at least you know the name. It is a Android based operating system that first appeared in 2009. Shortly after the release and success of T-Mobile G1 / HTC Dream, the developer community began work on creating modified versions Android, which exploited a weak point in the OS, allowing you to obtain administrator rights. This was not the first publicly released modification Android, but definitely the first to gain such popularity. As a result, many developers and enthusiasts have rallied around CyanogenMod, putting their skills and knowledge to create something that could replace for many Android. CM 'on board' allowed users to enjoy stability and full functionality Android along with personalization and additional functionality not available in the stock version Android.
In just a year, CM has evolved into five different versions. With each new version, there were advanced features such as gesture control, tethering, and a growing fleet of supported devices. Meanwhile, CyanogenMod has carved out its identity with a unique launcher and has increased its reputation by providing users with levels of customization that are not available to 'clean' Android. CM also changed people's minds about third-party firmware. Before its appearance, such firmware was purely the lot of geeks, and not the general mass of users. After CM, the latter were able to feel all the power Android, its stability, coupled with additional and missing features in the original.
At gunpoint – Google
For a while, this was the whole point of the project. Many leading developers have joined the ranks of CM, including co-founders Steve Kondick and Kirt McMaster. These highly qualified specialists ultimately made the decision to introduce or change individual parts of CyanogenMod, nevertheless leaving its OS “for people and for people,” as Kondik said. Cyanogen Inc. received $ 80 million from prominent investors including Twitter and Qualcomm.
In September 2013, Kondik announced the formation of Cyanogen Inc., an externally funded company formed to commercialize (or more accurately monetize) CyanogenMod. This coincided with the launch of Cyanogen OS, a more commercial version of community-created software that could be pre-installed on new devices. Indeed, in the spring of 2014, OnePlus One came out with a bang with CyanogenMod 12 or Cyanogen OS pre-installed, depending on your location. This event raised the rating of the newly-minted company and the success at the start spurred the confidence of Kondik and McMaster, the latter being remembered for his bold statements at this time.
McMaster, no longer CEO of the company, was interviewed by Miguel Helft and published on April 13, 2015 in Forbes magazine. In this interview, McMaster made the infamous announcement that Cyanogen would be like a 'bullet to Google's head'. In hindsight, it is likely that he was overly encouraged by the investment he had received, as well as the close collaboration he had begun with Microsoft. This can explain the desire to declare that the popular CyanogenMod and its younger sister Cyanogen OS, despite their humble beginnings, will soon turn the mobile phone industry upside down. It didn't turn out the way McMaster had planned.
A curious case of mismanagement
It feels like so much time has passed since the interview mentioned, but he is not yet two years old, and the 'bullet' clearly flew past Google's 'head'. Perhaps the time since the interview seems so long because Cyanogen hasn't made any positive headlines since.
After the launch of OnePlus One, the companies publicly quarreled to smithereens. First there was a problem with the smartphone itself, which was being sold in India, where CyanogenMod-based firmware was supplied exclusively with Micromax smartphones, no other OEM could sell CM-based devices in that country. The companies also exchanged personal insults, mostly from Kondik and McMaster. The latter blamed OnePlus for building their successful brand on the Cyanogen name. He went as far as stating that OnePlus would be lucky if they could sell at least one device on the international market without the recognizable Cyanogen brand.
It seemed that the termination of the cooperation agreement between CM and OnePlus should not have been a stumbling block, but Cyanogen OS subsequently only appeared in small batches of devices such as YU and WileyFox. Meanwhile, OnePlus is struggling to keep up with demand for the 3 and 3T models. You can draw your own conclusions. After this fiasco, it became clear that Cyanogen had big plans, but they did not know how to implement them. Over the years, rumors of constant layoffs and the fact that many Cyanogen developers have no confidence in the future have constantly leaked from the company's camp.
In a belated attempt to change something, McMaster was removed from his position as CEO of the company and was replaced by former COO Lior Tal. Kondik was also stripped of his seat on the board and it seems that his days in his own company are practically numbered. He recently confirmed the suspicions in a post on the closed community for CyanogenMod developers. More specifically, Kondik said the company had suffered a lot from mismanagement, McMaster’s behavior and comments were a source of constant confusion within the company, and the executives were unable to reach an overall agreement on the direction of the company’s development.
According to Kondik, McMaster did not cope with his position and was a source of conflict in the company, turning it into a rather difficult place to work. Kondik actually accuses McMaster of trying to sabotage his own company with his behavior. He does not directly talk about whether he will leave the company, but his departure seems to be predetermined. In his monologue, Kondyk laments the wrong decisions he made, that he trusted the wrong people and that he was 'given a ride' like the rest of Silicon Valley. All this looks like a farewell letter with apologies and excuses, Kondik expresses uncertainty about his future steps. While I'm sure he would like to create at least the appearance that he owns CyanogenMod, it will be difficult to untangle the whole 'tangle' and separate that good old OS from the rest of the company.
Kondik's announcement was yet another sad news during a rather difficult week for the company. A few days ago, we learned about the closing of the company's Seattle offices at the end of the year. Of course, for a while, there were rumors from their company's sources that the emphasis in future work would be on applications, and not on continued development of a key product.
What's next for Cyanogen?
At this stage, the future of the company is rather hazy. With a certain degree of probability, CyanogenMod will continue to evolve in the same way as before, being in the hands of the community. The problem Kondik mentioned in his statement relates to the extent to which the CyanogenMod and Cyanogen brand and trademarks are owned by the company. Recently, the company began promoting its 'modular OS', which appears to be made up of chunks of Cyanogen OS, individual mod components that OEMs and developers can use: they can be mixed, combined or integrated into existing solutions. Over the past few weeks, in dialogues with the company's PR department, its representatives have been very encouraged by the prospects for a modular OS. Be that as it may, taking into account the leaks from the company itself, if the company does not manage to put things in order using a modular OS, then Cyanogen will once and for all refuse to develop operating systems.
Original material by Dane O'Leary
Eh, Cyanogen, this whole commercial story did not benefit you … It’s a pity Kondik, he gave CM eight years, and what did it all come to? I reread his statement, of course, between the lines there is despair and a lack of understanding of further steps that could correct the situation. I remember reading and translating McMaster's interviews, and even then I thought, did he really have something that could turn the general user's perception of Cyanogen? Apparently, this trump card in the sleeve was cooperation with OnePlus, maybe a little hasty, but CM came out only sideways. Who would have known …
It seems to me that Cyanogen and Kondik have two possible ways out of the situation. The first and more logical one is mentioned by Kondik himself in his post – community fundraising. From the very beginning, the community played a key role in the development of CM, it seems that there are still people who are ready to support such a cool initiative. I would fit in without hesitation. The second option is more complicated and represents an attempt to follow the same 'rake' without consequences: finding a new OEM partner. To begin with, you can not even talk about flagships, but focus on confident mid-range products from a major manufacturer. Who can benefit from such cooperation? It comes to mind HTC, to some extent due to the fact that my acquaintance with CM took place (and continued) on the company's device, but what can I say, my first, ahem, text on the pages AMR was exactly about this OS on HTC Wildfire. But, turning off emotions and exhaling, I consider (drum roll) Lenovo a more reasonable partner. No, it's not a matter of modularity, I just imagined a device of the Moto X Force level with CM stuffing and realized that I would tear off such a device with my hands. Yes, the experience of the past makes itself felt, perhaps it is wrong to transfer it to the present day. So perhaps a line like the ZUK, but based on the CM, would be a better option.
Do you see any way out for Cyanogen, or do you think the train has already left?