Andy Rubin on leave from Essential after report about 'inappropriate relationship' at Google

UPDATE (11:45 AM ET): Updated to include statement from Essential.

Andy Rubin, CEO and founder of Essential, has taken a leave of absence for "personal reasons" from his company following a report from The Information that he had "an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate" that precipitated his 2014 departure from Google.

The woman filed a complaint with Google HR but no further details about the nature of the relationship have been publicly explained. Rubin left the Android division, where the woman worked, in 2013 to take over Google's robotics division.

Rubin's spokesman called the relationship "consensual" and added, “Mr. Rubin was never told by Google that he engaged in any misconduct while at Google and he did not, either while at Google or since.”

Meanwhile, according to The Information, Google's internal investigation claimed Rubin's behavior was "improper and showed bad judgement."

A spokesperson for Essential told Mashable, "At our last regularly scheduled board meeting earlier in November, Andy asked for a leave of absence to deal with personal matters. The Board agreed and our President, Niccolo de Masi, will continue to run day to day operations at Essential."

As The Verge notes, if the relationship took place while Rubin was still running the Android division, it would have violated Google's guidelines that would require them to not only disclose the relationship but for one of the involved to move to another division.