Apple said that Eric Schmidt, the CEO of search giant Google, is to quit the board of Apple.
He’s been a board director since 2006, and Apple said the reason he was leaving was the increasing overlap between it and Google.
The most recent conflict has been Apple’s refusal to allow Google Voice to work on its iPhone – a matter which has come under FCC scrutiny.
But Apple’s Steve Jobs didn’t mention that little spat. Instead, he said: “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 deminished.”
Schmidt is having to excuse himself from business where both Google and Apple have conflicts, Jobs said. So both Apple and Google have mutually decided to call it a day.
Intel’s CEO, Paul Otellini, is a member of Google’s board, but so far there doesn’t seem to be any conflict over his position there. Indeed, Intel recently said that it had aided and abetted Google in the development of its nascent operating system, Chrome OS.
