SpaceX board member Donald Harrison has left the company after a decade of service due to worries about possible conflict of interest related to Alphabet, the parent company of Google.

On November 4, 2026, Harrison notified SpaceX about his resignation, which took effect instantly. The company announced his departure on November 6, saying that his decision came from reasons unrelated to any problems he had with SpaceX’s operations, strategies or anything else.

Harrison is a longtime Google executive and currently serves as President of Global Partnerships and Corporate Development. He joined the SpaceX board in 2015 following Google’s investment in the company.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk confirmed the reason behind the departure in a post on X, saying that Harrison stepped down because of multiple conflicts of interest with Alphabet. Musk also thanked him for his contributions to the company’s board.

Alphabet remains one of SpaceX’s major investors and is its second-largest shareholder after Musk, according to reported ownership data. Google also slightly increased its SpaceX shareholding to approximately 555 million shares from 551.2 million previously.

Harrison’s resignation comes amid reports suggesting that SpaceX and Tesla might embark on a business combination. The two firms have set up special committees to investigate the merger options. However, there is still no final agreement in place.

The departure also highlights the growing business connections between major technology companies. Alphabet and SpaceX have investments and operations across areas such as artificial intelligence, space technology and communications, while their AI products, Gemini and Grok, compete in the growing AI market.

Harrison’s exit marks the departure of a long-standing independent director from SpaceX at a time when the company is considering major strategic developments.