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Google CEO Eric Schmidt to Discuss Role on Apple's Board in Wake of Chrome OS Announcement

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Apr 12, 2001
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Reuters reports that Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who has served on Apple's Board of Directors since 2006, will discuss with Apple how his role on the board may change in the wake of increasing overlap between the two companies' markets. The report comes just one day after Google announced that it will be entering the operating system market with Chrome OS, initially targeted at netbook computers.
Because Google's new Chrome OS would compete with Apple's own computer software, Schmidt said on Thursday he would talk to the Mac computer maker about whether he should recuse himself from Apple's board.

"I'll talk to the Apple people. At the moment, there's no issue," Schmidt told reporters at a Sun Valley media and technology conference organized by boutique investment bank Allen & Co.
Click to expand...
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission last month reportedly began taking an interest in the two companies' ties for potential antitrust reasons, as both Schmidt and Arthur Levinson, former CEO of biotech firm Genentech, are directors of both Apple and Google.

With Google's release of its Android operating system for mobile phones, Schmidt has recused himself from discussions regarding the iPhone at Apple board meetings, and it now appears that the operating system overlap between the two companies may necessitate further restrictions on Schmidt's participation with Apple, if not an outright resignation if potential solutions are deemed unworkable.

Article Link: Google CEO Eric Schmidt to Discuss Role on Apple's Board in Wake of Chrome OS Announcement
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2009/07/10/google-ceo-eric-schmidt-to-discuss-role-on-apples-board-in-wake-of-chrome-os-announcement/
interesting. if it is anything like "Google's release of it's Android mobile phone" then i see no reason that he should step down as it will also be quickly forgotten ;)
 
Hmmm

Time to step down. If the guy can't be fully briefed on the happenings of the company then there becomes less and less point keeping him around. He may already be looking for a way out and this was a subtle (not so subtle) way of doing it.
 
well, he should not discuss his role in the future.

he should discuss his role over the past 12 month.

google certainly worked on the chrome OS and the related business strategy for the past year. and sitting on the board of a company startegically based on a cutting edge OS certainly helped a lot.;)
 
"Come in Agent Schmidt! Your work is done. The turtle has left the ocean. REPEAT: The turtle has left the ocean."
 
Not so Fast

He may simply be playing some games with Jobs....these guys think alike, according to what I see and read. With MSFT tying to horn in on Google with BING and Apple's shared disdain for them, you never know! You are assuming that this isn't something that they have been planning. Jobs thinks way, waaay ahead. Either he's furious that Google is treading on their turf, or there may be a long-term goal or opponent in the marketplace the two companies share.

Don't scream mutiny quite yet...
 
Crash Override said:
He may simply be playing some games with Jobs....these guys think alike, according to what I see and read. With MSFT tying to horn in on Google with BING and Apple's shared disdain for them, you never know! You are assuming that this isn't something that they have been planning. Jobs thinks way, waaay ahead. Either he's furious that Google is treading on their turf, or there may be a long-term goal or opponent in the marketplace the two companies share.

Don't scream mutiny quite yet...
Click to expand...

I tried bing the other day. I hate it.
 
Well, Apple doesn't sell a netbook, so...

I understand that this could potentially be used for desktops and laptops. Unless they charge for it, I don't think he should step down. I think it's good to have a "competitor" so close to you. It's like the old quote; "Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer." Not that they're even enemies.

Seriously, this will hurt Microsoft more than Apple. This will presumably be able to run on a Mac, so I see the issue. However, not many people buy a Mac only to install an OS on it other than OS X. There are already a ton of PCs out there. If the claim is that the PC market will boom because of Chrome OS, I don't buy it. These are the hundreds of thousands of non-specialty machines that run an OS as a commodity, not a feature. Unless Google starts selling their own line of computers, I don't feel that Schmidt should leave.
 
I wonder what's Eric Schmidt had spoke to Steve....


"Sorry Steve... I should have told you earlier..."

or

"Oh Steve... It's about time..."

or

....
 
Also in the article was this:

Schmidt also said he was kept well abreast of the circumstances surrounding Apple founder Steve Jobs' medical leave of absence.

In January, Jobs began a nearly six-month leave to seek treatment for unspecified health issues. He received a liver transplant while on leave, and returned to work last week.

Apple and its board have been criticized by some observers for failing to disclose the exact state of Jobs' health.

"I was extremely well-informed as a board member with what was going on with Steve," Schmidt said. He declined to comment further on the matter.
 
MacRumors said:
...With Google's release of its Android operating system for mobile phones, Schmidt has recused himself from discussions regarding the iPhone at Apple board meetings, and it now appears that the operating system overlap between the two companies may necessitate further restrictions on Schmidt's participation with Apple, if not an outright resignation if potential solutions are deemed unworkable...
Click to expand...

Schmidt needs to recuse himself further - by resigning from Apple's Board. In my view, it became a conflict of interest the moment Android was released. I think there is nothing but bad news for Apple and Google both if he stays on after the Chrome OS is released.
 
zombitronic said:
Well, Apple doesn't sell a netbook, so...
Click to expand...

He may even be told to resign because Apple may be working on a netbook.

Ok, yeah, i know, they have denied it but thats how they work.

They even said they wont be making cheaper iPods without a screen and after 3 months came the iPod shuffle.

Apple's netbook (or whatever similar portable device they make) may be debut next year co-inciding with Chrome OS'es launch.

So there's the problem as i see it.
 
Seems like there might be some competition between apple's upcoming mini tablet and a google chrome netbook....
 
I see no point in him staying on Apple's board. That left out multitouch thing on the Android still comes to mind... when others like Palm and HTC use it.
 
At present I don't see how a free, netbook-centric Google Chrome would compete with Apple's full-blown OS X. Unless this is all confirmation that Apple will indeed be releasing a tablet-like device. But even then, it will be quite different from your average netbook running a slim/underpowered OS. If Apple goes after the "low end" of the market it certainly won't feel like it.

In any case, if Jobs thinks there's a conflict of interest, he'll ask Schmidt to leave. If not, then there's no problem.

Really not a big deal.
 
Given his stance with the iPhone it would seem logical that he would recuse himself here too, I guess he could stay onto discuss: Hardware Design, Apple TV, MobileMe, etc...
 
IMHO they are very different markets, unless apple are moving into the "notebook" market ^_^
 
Steve takes a seat on Google's board

To even things out Steve Jobs should be made a member of Google's board!

Then they can both report back about the other... :)
 
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