Google CEO Resigns from Apple's Board of Directors

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 3, 2009 - 8:01am.

Mountain View, Calif. - Days after Apple's (NASD: AAPL) App store rejected his company's Internet telephone application for the iPhone, Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google (NASD: GOOG), on Monday announced his resignation from Apple's board of directors. Schmidt had served on the company's board since mid-2006. In recent months, however, Google has begun competing in Apple's space, with the launch of its Android operating system -- used on mobile phones that compete with the iPhone -- and the planned launch of its new Chrome operating system.

"Unfortunately, as Google enters more of Apple's core businesses... 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," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO.

"Therefore, we have mutually decided that now is the right time for Eric to resign his position."

On Friday, the Federal Communications Commission began an inquiry into why Apple rejected the Google Voice app.

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