Google is concerned about the growth of Samsung and its leadership position among Android partner manufacturers, according to the Wall Street Journal.
During a meeting last year, Andy Rubin, director of Android, reportedly said he "welcomed" Samsung's success, but was concerned about Google's position vis-à-vis Samsung relative to its competitors. By far the biggest seller in the android market, Samsung could do different needs from other manufacturers on the Android, or worse, it could go Amazon's way and develop its own version of the system.
Samsung It already owns 39,6% of the global smartphone market, and most of these devices are based on the Google platform. Other manufacturers like LG and Google's Motorola themselves don't have the same success with Android. The situation is causing a relationship of dependency between the two companies.
In this scenario, Motorola could be Google's trump card. Acquired in 2011, the products launched by Motorola Mobility under the Google umbrella have not satisfied the market, but it may be the key for Google to maintain control over the system.