San Francisco: Donald Harrison, a senior Google executive, has resigned from the board of directors of SpaceX after more than 11 years of service. SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk attributed the departure to potential conflicts of interest involving Alphabet, Google's parent company.
Harrison's resignation took effect on November 4, 2026. SpaceX announced his departure on November 6, thanking him for his contributions to the company's development and growth.
Musk said Harrison had been a good board member and expressed appreciation for his service. However, he explained that conflicts of interest involving Alphabet had prompted Harrison to step down. The exact nature of these conflicts has not been publicly disclosed.
In its regulatory filing, SpaceX clarified that Harrison's resignation was not the result of any disagreement with the company over its operations, policies or practices. The filing did not provide further details about the potential conflicts involving Alphabet.
Harrison joined the SpaceX board in February 2015. He has also held several senior positions at Google and currently serves as president of Global Partnerships and Corporate Development.
His career at Google began in 2005, when he joined the company's legal division. He served as vice president and deputy general counsel until 2012, before moving into corporate development. In 2017, he became president of Global Partnerships and Corporate Development.
His departure has attracted attention because of the financial relationship between Alphabet and SpaceX. Alphabet is a major institutional investor in the privately held space company and has been identified as its largest single institutional shareholder.
Reported investment figures show that Google's disclosed SpaceX shareholding increased to approximately 555 million shares, compared with 551.2 million shares previously reported. This represents an increase of about 3.8 million shares.
The relationship between the two companies adds significance to Harrison's departure. As a senior Google executive responsible for global partnerships and corporate development, he also served on the board of a company in which Google's parent organisation has substantial financial interests.
Such arrangements can create potential corporate governance concerns, particularly when senior executives have responsibilities involving organisations with significant financial and business relationships. Companies must carefully manage potential conflicts to protect confidential information and ensure that important decisions are made independently.
Harrison's resignation also comes amid wider developments concerning SpaceX's future business plans. In October, reports emerged that SpaceX and electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla had established special committees of independent directors to examine a possible merger between the two companies.
Harrison was among the independent directors involved in the board level discussions concerning the proposed merger. Elon Musk has acknowledged that he would be a conflicted party in such discussions and would not participate in the special committees' deliberations.
However, there is no confirmed evidence that the possible merger between SpaceX and Tesla was connected to Harrison's resignation. The company has not publicly established any link between the two developments.
Following Harrison's departure, SpaceX's board composition has changed, with five independent directors remaining. The company has not announced whether it plans to appoint a replacement.
Harrison's resignation ends more than 11 years of service on the SpaceX board. His departure also highlights the challenges that can arise when senior executives hold responsibilities across companies with significant financial and strategic relationships.
Although Musk has cited conflicts involving Alphabet as the reason for Harrison's departure, the specific circumstances remain unclear. Further information from SpaceX, Google or Harrison could provide a clearer understanding of the issues behind the decision.