Techcrunch has an interesting article about Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt serving on Apple’s board.

I doubt anyone questions that over the last 2 years Google and Apple have found themselves in quiet competition.  Today we have Safari vs Chrome (both based off Apple’s open source webkit), iPhone vs Android, .Mac vs many online google services, iWork vs Google Docs, and now Mac OS X vs Chrome OS.  Google has also made many moves in the media industry with audio and video (youtube.com) even if they do not directly compete with Apple’s iTunes (yet).

While Apple and Google have very different philosophies, especially with their operating systems and office tools it is increasingly obvious that the two are very quickly becoming competitors on many fronts.

Further more Schmidt has said publicly that he recuses himself in meetings where the iPhone is disscussed:

“From my perspective, I don’t think Google sees Apple as a primary competitor.”

Mr. Schmidt said that if there were areas of competition between the two, he would recuse himself from discussions. He added that it was well known that he typically recuses himself from Apple board discussions related to the iPhone.

With the iPhone now one of Apple’s best selling products, especially if you include its sibling the iPod Touch, how can you be an effective board member if you’re not involved in these meetings?  Based on that quote he is slowly walking out of the majority of Apple’s board meetings when some key Apple products are discussed.

I’m a fan of both Apple and Google but the implications of such a tight paring of competing firms at the board level raise many questions and concerns about good corporate governance.

Obviously I’m not alone with these concerns since the Obama Administration has recently begun probes into the close ties between Apple and Google.