Google CEO leaves Apple board as companies compete

Source: AP via the Richmond Times-Dispatch

NEW YORK (AP) -- Google CEO Eric Schmidt is resigning from Apple's board of directors as the Internet search leader increasingly develops products that compete with Apple's core businesses, including the popular iPhone.

Apple Inc. said Monday that Schmidt would have had to recuse himself from large portions of the company's board meetings to avoid 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," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement.

Schmidt had been on Apple's board since August 2006. His resignation comes as the Federal Trade Commission is looking into whether Google Inc.'s common ties with Apple might discourage competition.

Just a few months ago, Schmidt expressed confidence that such an inquiry into his role on Apple's board won't find any evidence that the ties between the two companies throttle competition in such areas as mobile phones.

He said in May, in a media session ahead of Google's annual shareholder meeting, that he hasn't considered stepping down as an Apple director because he doesn't view the company as a "primary competitor."





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