Agree - it seems like the person self selected to be on a tremendously challenging/ambitious/ambiguous project that might have been more of a side initiative for Google so it could watch/influence/keep tabs on the standard.

Like more of a cost center and less a profit center for Chrome.

I'm sure there are less stressful but perhaps less visible groups in Google that could have been switched to.

Also seems as much of an issue w.r.t. the competitive/co-opetion nature of the standards working group.