In a move that will surprise nobody whatsoever, Google CEO Eric Schmidt has resigned from the board of Apple. The two firms had been close collaborators in the past, but with Google now competing with Apple in both the smartphone (Android versus iPhone) and browser (Chrome versus Safari) markets, Schmidt’s position was getting increasingly precarious.
Apple head honcho Steve Jobs said, “Eric has been an excellent Board member for Apple, investing his valuable time, talent, passion and wisdom to help make Apple successful. Unfortunately, as Google enters more of Apple’s core businesses… Eric’s effectiveness as an Apple Board member will be significantly diminished. [...] Therefore, we have mutually decided that now is the right time for Eric to resign his position on Apple’s Board.”
Last May there was some talk of antitrust investigations over Schmidt’s position on both boards, while only recently Apple’s rejection of a Google Voice app for iPhone caused some consternation Stateside.
