
Uber Shuts Out Alphabet Execs from Board Meetings - nyangosling
https://www.theinformation.com/uber-shuts-out-alphabet-execs-from-board-meetings
======
yladiz
Non-paywalled article: [http://www.businessinsider.com/alphabet-david-drumond-
barred...](http://www.businessinsider.com/alphabet-david-drumond-barred-uber-
board-2016-8?op=1)

From the Business Insider article:

> The situation is similar to when Google CEO Eric Schmidt left Apple's board
> after his company started working on Android, its own mobile operating
> system similar to Apple's iOS, except that Drummond hasn't given up his
> board seat.

It's only kind of similar. Schmidt left Apple's board while Drummond has been
essentially forced out, and Google was working on a direct competitor to
Apple's iOS, which would have been a pretty glaring conflict of interest. I
guess Uber's self driving cars research would be a conflict of interest for
Drummond too, but Drummond is just a SVP of corporate development, so he
wouldn't really deal with any of the development of the self driving cars at
Google.

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angersock
> _Uber also is shielding information from board “observer” David Krane, who
> runs a subsidiary of Alphabet called GV, a venture capital firm that is one
> of Uber’s top shareholders, says another person familiar with the
> arrangement._

That's odd. There has to be more going on there, yes?

~~~
calbear81
I don't think it's odd because there is now a direct conflict between Uber's
future direction (autonomous cars for hire) and Google X's self driving car
project.

Regardless of any claims about a possible Chinese wall between Google Ventures
(GV) and other Alphabet divisions, Uber is right to limit information access
to direct competitors even if they are investors/advisors.

~~~
dublinben
Don't their investors have a legal right to this information?

~~~
ivraatiems
Maybe, but Uber is not known for being a company that cares about what the law
says.

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brokentone
[paywalled article]

