This past October, Lenovo signed up Ashton Kutcher for a position of “product engineer.” For many, that sounded like a joke, or PR stunt. However, now we’re hearing that Kutcher will actually be involved in actual product design of some Lenovo products. It’s not like he needs extra cash; rather it seems he wants to get into the mobile business.
Here’s what Lenovo CMO David Roman said in an interview with Re/code: “I know on one level, it sounds corny, but it is real. He not only sees himself as an engineer, but he is an engineer. If he sees a problem, he wants to solve it.”
The actor will apparently be involved in UI design in order to ensure folks get an easy to use devices. This UI will only be included in select Lenovo models while others will keep relying on Lenovo’s default Android skin.
Yeah, it’s somewhat weird to see the guy who played Steve Jobs getting so much involved in the Android eco-system. Irony or what?
UPDATE: Lenovo has sent us an email saying that “development agreement Lenovo has with Ashton Kutcher is for tablets only, and not for smartphones.”