Google's Legal Chief David Drummond Steps Down Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations

David Drummond, one of the oldest Google employees and the chief legal officer of its parent company Alphabet, just announced his resignation amid allegations of multiple inappropriate relationships with employees.

Late last year, the company announced that it was investigating sexual misconduct cases against executives, including claims against Drummond, after a mass employee walkout over the company’s handling of misconduct accusations. 

A former Google employee, Jennifer Blakely, publicly disclosed her previous relationship with Drummond, who had previously denied having any inappropriate relationships with his employees. 

In his resignation letter, Drummond did not mention the allegations, but said the time had come for him to step aside since "the company is entering an exciting new phase, and I believe that it’s also the right time for me to make way for the next generation of leaders.”

Sexual misconduct is not the first time Drummond has caused a controversy. Last year, the ex legal chief sold about $145 million of stock in the weeks before co-founder Larry Page stepped down as chief executive officer. 

According to reports, Drummond sold $72 million of stock in early November and an additional $73 million on December 2nd. The latter occurred a day before Google announced that Sundar Pichai would succeed Page as CEO and become Drummond’s boss.