Apparently, Uber is not such a well oiled machine. Reports are saying that the ride-hailing company has recently been keeping two of its executives out of the loop in fear of a strengthening conflict of interest. That is, the competition between Alphabet, Inc. and the Uber itself.
David Drummond Kept Out Of The Loop
According to Fortune, Uber initially kept David Drummond out of board meetings, before the executive resigned his post after three years. This is because Drummond is the senior vice president of corporate development and also the chief legal officer of Alphabet, Inc., Google's parent company.
After some time, Drummond eventually left the company altogether. "I recently stepped down from Uber's board given the overlap between the two companies. Uber is a phenomenal company and it's been a privilege working with the team over the last two plus years," said Drummond in a statement. "GV (Google Ventures) remains an enthusiastic investor and Google will continue to partner with Uber."
What Uber Has To Say
On the other side of things, Uber's CEO Travis Kalanick stated that Drummond has "been a sage advisor and a great personal friend. I wish David and Alphabet the best, and look forward to continued cooperation and partnership."
Another Executive Left In The Dark
Meanwhile, there is another individual that Uber is reportedly keeping out of board meetings. That is, David Krane, who is a regular board "observer." Just like Drummond, Krane is stuck in the middle of the two companies, as he runs GV, Alphabet, Inc.'s venture capital firm.
The Beginning Of The End
As Business Insider points out, the move is only proof that the two companies, who initially worked well together and shared the vision of a technologically advanced future, are now stepping onto each other's territories
Logically, the partnership between Uber and Google had once seemed like the perfect idea. However, there has long been speculation that Google will once again branch out its reach, this time to cover ride-hailing services. If anything, Drummond's graceful step down, in addition to Krane's own lock down, is only proof of this possibility.
