Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt has just stepped down from his position in Apple’s Board. Mr. Schmidt has been with the Apple Board since 2006, five years after he joined Google in 2001.From the words of Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs:
“Eric has been an excellent Board member for Apple, investing his valuable time, talent, passion and wisdom to help make Apple successful. Unfortunately, as Google enters more of Apple’s core businesses, with Android and now Chrome OS, Eric’s effectiveness as an Apple Board member will be significantly diminished, since he will have to recuse himself from even larger portions of our meetings due to potential conflicts of interest. Therefore, we have mutually decided that now is the right time for Eric to resign his position on Apple’s Board.”
This is not surprising at all since we all knew that there has been some conflict of interest which started when Google entered into the mobile phone market. The Google phone which runs on Android OS is a direct competitor of Apple’s iPhone.
But what sealed Eric Schmidt’s fate as an Apple Board Member was solely triggered by the Android Phone but also because of the upcoming release of the Google OS.
And who knows what other products and services that will compete with those of Apple? So it is but logical that Apple asks Mr. Schmidt to step down.
With Mr. Schmidt’s resignation, Apple has just officially accepted Google as a competitor rather than a busness ally.
