Should Google CEO Eric Schmidt resign from Apple board?

  • July 9, 2009 6:47 am

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Being caught in a situation regarding conflicts of interest is never fun. You have the various companies involved as well as the ever present government breathing down your neck. Google’s CEO, Eric Schmidt knows a thing or two about this. While he is the CEO of a widely sucessful company built upon search with new ventures in the mobile OS market, they are now also a company striving towards launching their own full blown OS. Obviously, being on Apple’s board to oversea the best interests and direction of that company poses a problem. How can Mr. Schmidt serve both companies equally?

Truth is, he can’t. No matter how you try and rationalize it, someone in Eric Schmidt’s position will always have to choose a side to win the current battle. However, one way he *could* sugar coat the problem at hand would be to highlight the differences in Google’s and Apple’s OS’s and to computers in general. The Chrome OS is going to be at first marketed towards netbooks — something Apple has repeatedly claimed they don’t know how to make a good one at bargain basement prices nor do they even occupy the market to begin with. Because of that, Chrome and Apple won’t technically overlap or compete as Apple stays more towards the higher end.

But, if Chrome gets pushed up higher as many suspect it may be over time, the conflict of interest issue concerning Apple and Google could get much pricklier. I say just resign from Apple’s board if the situation gets any more tense. He’s had a good run with the much loved fruit. Not to mention, who wants to spend countless hours and days with government officials scrutinizing every aspect of your life and workplace?

What do you think? Conflict of interest? Should Google CEO Eric Schmidt eventually resign on Apple’s board?

Source: Apple Insider, Image Source


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