The team at HP responsible for Enyo, the HTML5-based apps framework used on HP's webOS smartphone platform, is to transfer to Google, according to reports, prompting questions about the future of open-source webOS.

According to The Verge, the transferring team is likely to be set to work on Android, or possibly on Chrome-based web apps. Sources at the publication say it won’t be the entire Enyo team moving to Google, though Matt McNulty — the man in charge of the project — will be among the departing crew.

In a statement, HP insisted its strategy to transfer webOS over to the open source community remained on track. The first version of the open-source platform is due later this year. It is not clear if the defection of the Enyo team is linked to HP’s announcement earlier this week that the struggling PC-maker is to slash 27,000 jobs.

The Enyo developer tool was the first aspect of webOS made open source. According to HP, it enables developers to write a single app that works across multiple devices and desktop web browsers, “from the webOS, iOS and Android platforms to the Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers – and more.”

Enyo first appeared on HP’s webOS-based TouchPad tablet last year, though that device was shelved shortly after launch.