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The
move is a signal of increased overlap between the two companies
as they vie for an edge in the competitive autonomous vehicle
business.
Drummond joined the board after Alphabet's venture capital arm
GV in 2013 invested about $250 million in Uber, among the firm's
largest investments and a deal in which Drummond was involved.
"I recently stepped down from Uber's board given the overlap
between the two companies," Drummond said in a written statement
sent to Reuters. "Uber is a phenomenal company and it's been a
privilege working with the team over the last two-plus years. GV
remains an enthusiastic investor and Google will continue to
partner with Uber."
Drummond joined Google in 2002 and serves as senior vice
president of corporate development for Alphabet.
Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick in a written statement
called Drummond "a sage advisor and a great personal friend" and
said that the two companies would have "continued cooperating
and partnership."
Technology news site The Information recently reported that Uber
had shut out Drummond from board meetings, citing three people
familiar with the situation, and is also shielding information
from board participant David Krane of GV.
Uber has redirected much of its focus on developing a fleet of
self-driving cars, also a sweet spot for Google. Uber opened a
technology center in Pittsburgh, hired away some of the top-tier
robotics minds from Carnegie Mellon University and has partnered
with major automakers such as Volvo [VOLVO.UL]. Uber recently
said it plans to put semi-autonomous cars on the road by the end
of this month to pick up passengers.
Google is working on making its self-driving car experiments,
which have been ongoing for years, into a viable business.
(Reporting by Heather Somerville; Editing by Bernard Orr)
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