CyanogenMod founder Steve Kondik parts ways with Samsung, trashes TouchWiz in the process
While Samsung doesn’t always play nice with the independent developers looking to hack their devices, they still recognize talent when they see it. That’s why Steve Kondik, founder of CyanogenMod, was brought in to help put some polish on the company’s Android implementation. Less than two years later Kondik is parting ways with Samsung.
The departure doesn’t come with any prerequisite bad blood between the two parties. Kondik said his decision to leave was based on his desire to “do something new.” That doesn’t mean he didn’t take the opportunity to get a slight jab in at his former employer. Speaking on the Galaxy S4’s TouchWiz implementation, Kondik said, “it feels like it has been sent a few years back in time to the Froyo days.”
Otherwise, Kondik said the GS4 “blows the competition out of the water,” noting that while the overall phone design hasn’t changed much from last year’s model, the new iteration is a much more solid feeling device with plenty of great features built in.
As for where the man ends up, he hasn’t announced any future plans. Perhaps a return to his roots as an indie developer?