Google's parent company Alphabet Inc. has rehired Yoky Matsuoka as the Chief Technology Officer of its smart home brand Nest Labs Inc. after her 7-month stint at the tech giant Apple.

Matsuoka, while still working at Google, co-founded Google X, the Alphabet research lab that produced Google's self-driving car and Google Glass. She joined Apple in May 2016 to work on the company's health initiatives.

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As Chief Technology Officer of the smart home unit, Matsuoka is expected to work closely with Nest's engineering and product teams to define a long-term technology roadmap. She will also be responsible for identifying important enabling technologies for Nest products and services, like sensors and machine learning while partnering with outside companies.

Among other tasks, Matsuoka also has to team up with other Alphabet businesses to spot areas where Nest can collaborate on technology and product development, according to Bloomberg.

Matsuoka, who joined Apple in May 2016 to help run its health technology initiatives, left toward the end of the year. Before working at Apple, she was already a Nest executive when iPod creator Tony Fadell founded the startup with Matt Rogers in 2010. She was present in action when Google bought the business for more than $3 billion in the year 2014. Matsuoka left the company in 2015 to lead a health data startup called Quanttus. 

Matsuoka has been credited with developing the technology that helps Nest thermostats automatically adapt to things like environmental conditions and past usage. A pioneer in robotics, she helped invent a lifelike robotic hand, she also co-founded Google X.

Nest had a tough 2016 even though sales grew quickly. Fadell quit in June after some employees complained publicly about his aggressive management. The company also missed sales targets and delayed future products. Even though many spoke in favor of Nest's work culture, the company reportedly lost some staff due to Fadell's mercurial style.

Nest, now run by Marwan Fawaz, a former executive vice president of Motorola Mobility, announced earlier this month that it would start selling its Internet-connected thermostats, cameras, and smoke alarms in Germany, Austria, Italy and Spain.