""I think the newer leadership since Alex Austin left has put a different focus on the company and Nova simply isn't part of that focus in any way at all," Cliff Wade, Nova's former customer relations lead who left as part of the 2024 layoffs, tells The Verge. "It's just some app that they own but no longer feel they need or want.""
"Wade also said that "I don't believe Branch will do the right thing any time soon with regards to open-sourcing Nova. I think they simply just don't care and don't want to invest time, unless of course, they get enough pressure from the community and individuals who care." Users have started a change.org petition to ask for the project to be open-sourced, and Wade says it's a "great start" to apply that pressure."
Nearly everyone working on Nova Launcher was laid off last year, leaving founder Kevin Barry as the sole remaining developer. Barry left Nova's parent company after being asked to stop working on the launcher and an effort to open-source it. Nova Launcher's website shows a 404 error, though the app remains available on Google Play. Branch Metrics acquired Nova in 2022, and prior CEO Alex Austin said Barry's departure would trigger a contractual open-source release. Austin left Branch in 2023, and with Barry now gone the open-source outcome remains unclear. Former staff and users doubt Branch will act without community pressure.
Read at The Verge
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