Ashton Kutcher Hired by Lenovo as Product Engineer [VIDEO]
CREDIT: YouTube/Lenovo
Ashton Kutcher was reportedly hired by Lenovo as its new product engineer. Not only will he act as an engineer for the company, but also as a celebrity endorser for the brand.
In a phone interview with USA TODAY, Kutcher confirmed his appointment as Lenovo's newest employee.
"It's somewhat of a dual role," Kutcher told USA TODAY.
This might come as a surprise for many, but Kutcher has been an avid supporter of technology, investing in various companies and startups through A-Grade Investments, which he co-founded. He has invested in or worked with Foursquare, Spotify, Uber, Airbnb and Path.
The "Two and a Half Men" star signed a deal with Lenovo on Oct. 29, 2013. Other terms of the multi-year partnership agreement were not disclosed.
A live-streaming broadcast announced Kutcher's partnership with Lenovo as well as the company's new Yoga Android Tablet.
After the announcement, Kutcher flew to China to meet with the executives of Lenovo and his fellow engineers.
Aside from his experience as a tech investor, Ashton also has some background in engineering, although in a different area. He used to study biochemical engineering at the University of Iowa. But, he wasn't able to finish the course because he went on to become a successful model and actor instead.
However, engineering seems to be his destiny because after years of modeling and acting, he is back in the engineering field. His popularity and experience sure did come in handy in being chosen as part of Lenovo's team.
Part of Kutcher's job will be to give advice on software and design for the Yoga Android Tablets.
"Lenovo makes really, really, really good hardware," he said.
"I hope to make their products as consumer friendly as possible."
Lenovo's chief marketing officer (CMO) David Roman, also commented on the deal with Ashton.
"Ashton will help us break new ground by challenging assumptions, bringing new perspective and contributing his technical expertise to Yoga Tablet and other devices," said Roman.
From modeling underwear to "punk-ing" fellow celebrities, Kutcher has constantly surprised the public. Who would have thought that the guy who played Jesse Montgomery III in "Dude, Where's My Car?," Michael Kelso in "That 70's Show" and Walden Schmidt in "Two and a Half Men" would turn out to be such a successful geek after all? It seems like playing Steve Jobs in the film "Jobs" really rubbed off on him.
Ashton Kutcher being hired by Lenovo as its brand new product engineer will further cement Kutcher's place in Technology, not just as an investor, but more importantly as someone who can directly influence the software and design of Lenovo's products, starting with the Yoga Android Tablet.