Now is not a good time for this: Andy Rubin takes leave from Essential to avoid “inappropriate relationship” scandal

Uh-oh, Essential might be in trouble. Well, the startup is actually in trouble already, as its premium product — the Essential Phone — hasn't been selling well at all and has seen its price slashed to $449, down from the $699 it launched at just 3 months ago. But now, trouble is brewing around company founder Andy Rubin, which will pull him away from the business right during the holiday shopping period. Ouch!

As a reminder — Andy Rubin was a co-founder of Android and a Senior Vice President of Mobile for Google, overseeing the development of the operating system ...