The project that Mike will talk to you about is our biggest Play priority for Q1, but one that we don’t have the resources to staff (our Play strategy team had a lot of departures into the business).

Essentially, Jamie and Sameer are asking us to consider what Play should do in the face of increasing app store competition on Android, both from OEMs (who are looking to increase services revenue / differentiate devices with content) and other large platforms (like Epic). In that context, they’re willing to consider all options, including changes to our business model, considering paying our OEMs and carrier partners, and more.

We see it as two phases: setting the scene for why it’s important (some scenarios for impact on Play, Android and Google), then onto solution design.

It’s a huge project and one where we’d definitely appreciate the help. Jamie and Sameer have already confirmed they can allocate an hour every other week to keep track of progress and make decisions.