Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2011/11/08/alan_davidson_quits_google/
Google's top lobbyist quits amid antitrust probe
Davidson leaps from fiery Washington
Posted in Legal, 8th November 2011 11:11 GMT
Google's top Washington lobbyist, Alan Davidson, has quit the company.
Mountain View's director of public policy said he would step down later this month, having worked at Google since 2005.
His departure is arguably poorly timed given the level of antitrust regulatory scrutiny circling the firm currently.
“After six-and-a-half years, I’ve decided it’s the right moment for me to leave my current role at the company,” said Davidson in an email to Google staff yesterday, according to Bloomberg.
“Starting later this month, I will be taking a sabbatical to explore other opportunities.”
The world's largest ad broker does not have an immediate replacement for Davidson. That said, since he joined as a one-man-policy-band, Google has greatly accelerated its lobbying efforts in Washington.
As noted by Davidson, Google's US public policy wing now boasts “a large regional team with a flagship office”.
This year alone, the company has spent $6m on lobbying, the New York Times reported. ®