Hugo Barra, Xiaomi’s vice president for global operations, today announced his decision to leave the company after three and half years to return to Silicon Valley.
Announcing the decision through a Facebook post, Barra said, “I will be transitioning out of my role at Xiaomi in February after Chinese New Year. I will take some much-needed time off before embarking on a new adventure back in Silicon Valley.”
Barra, who joined the Chinese startup after leaving Google, transformed the company in turned India into one of its biggest markets. He had been living between Beijing and Bangalore after leaving the Silicon Valley, closer to his family.
However, he will continue to be an advisor for the company.
His decision, Barra said, was taken as he wanted to go back to Silicon Valley.
"I moved to Beijing, 6,500 miles out of my comfort zone in Silicon Valley, to build from scratch a startup team within a bigger startup... I can proudly say that Xiaomi Global is the first baby I helped bring into the world," he wrote on Facebook.
“I've realized is that the last few years of living in such a singular environment have taken a huge toll on my life and started affecting my health. My friends, what I consider to be my home, and my life are back in Silicon Valley, which is also much closer to my family. Seeing how much I've left behind these past few years, it is clear to me that the time has come to return,” he said.
Thanking Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun, Barra said he was “honored that he has been very supportive of my transition and has asked me to remain an advisor to Xiaomi indefinitely.”
In three and half years, Barra has been the global face of the company as it expanded outside China in India, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.
India is one of the largest largest international markets for the company with over USD 1 billion in annual revenues.
