Google’s SEO Eric Schmidt is resigning from Apple’s board of directors. The reason is the increasing rivalry between the two companies, and the issue that two of the biggest tech companies in the world are sharing directors can have implications regarding competition and insider information and antitrust rules. Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple said in a statement today that Schmidt was having to exit more meetings due to the fact that the two companies, that were previously operating in different markets, and getting increasingly closer.
Google has recently expanded into the computer and mobile-phone software, creating direct competitors to Apple’s products. Google’s G1 mobile phone using its mobile operating system called Android is now competing with Apple’s iPhone. Also, Google has announced that it is planning to launch its own PC operating system, called Chrome, which will be in direct competition with Apple’s Mac computers, as well as Microsoft.
Although it is a great loss for Apple, and a real shame that some of the greatest minds in the IT arena can no longer sit around the same table, it is certainly a good move for the industry and shareholders alike.
