Hugo Barra mobbed by glow stick-wielding fans during Xiaomi debut

Former Android director of product management Hugo Barra had to be escorted to safety after being mobbed by the press at his chaotic debut at Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi, according to a report today from the Wall Street Journal. Barra, who announced his departure from Google last week, appeared at the introduction of a new Xiaomi smartphone and television and had to flee to the front of the room after becoming surrounded by the press, according to the Journal.

An audience of devoted Xiaomi fans, some wearing glow sticks, spilled into the aisles and whooped with applause as CEO Lei Jun introduced the upstart manufacturer’s latest products. Eventually, Barra joined Jun on stage to cheers from Xiaomi’s fans, the report said. He said he would begin working for the company as a vice president in October, leading Xiaomi’s international expansion efforts, and plans to start studying Chinese.

In recent years, Barra had become the face of Android, often appearing on stage to explain its latest features to the world. If today’s debut is any indication, he’s likely to play a similar role at Xiaomi.