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Google says Arthur Levinson has resigned from the Internet search leader's board, averting a potential showdown with government over his job at Apple.
The Federal Trade Commission had been investigating whether Levinson's double duty on the boards of both Google and Apple would lessen competition between the companies as they increasingly collide in the same markets.
The same issue had dogged Google Chairperson Eric Schmidt until he stepped down from Apple's board two months ago.
Levinson's resignation from Google's board takes effect immediately, ending his 5 1/2-year stint as a director. He will remain on Apple's board, where he has been a director for nine
years.
Levinson, who is also chairman of biotechnology pioneer Genentech Inc., owns a bigger stake in Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple than he does in Mountain View-based Google, according to regulatory filings.
Google didn't specify the reason for Levinson's departure, but it has previously acknowledged the FTC's inquiry into his roles at Google and Apple.
Google also makes software that runs on cell phones, putting it in competition with Apple's iPhone. Google didn't say whether it will fill Levinson's vacant seat.
