Google's man on SpaceX's board is out — and anyone who wants the internet to stay free just won a round.
Donald Harrison, Google's president of global partnerships and corporate development, resigned from SpaceX's board of directors on November 4, 2026, effective immediately. Elon Musk confirmed on X that Harrison left because of "the number of conflicts of interest involving Alphabet." That conflict should have been obvious from the start: Google built the West's most sophisticated censorship apparatus, while SpaceX builds Starlink — the satellite network that lets ordinary people bypass government internet controls worldwide. One company silences speech; the other keeps it alive. Having Google's hand on both levers was never going to end well for free expression.
SpaceX disclosed the resignation in a regulatory filing on November 6, stating Harrison's departure "was not due to any disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to its operations, policies, or practices." The company thanked him for his "many contributions and his years of dedicated and outstanding service." Both outlets reported the no-disagreement language prominently. But Europe Says noted Musk's X post attributing the exit to Alphabet's conflicts; CNBC omitted that context entirely, leaving readers to wonder why Harrison actually left.
What the filings don't advertise: Alphabet still holds the financial cards. Google's parent remains SpaceX's largest institutional shareholder, owning approximately 555 million shares valued at $74 billion as of Friday's close — a staggering return on its 2015 investment when SpaceX was worth roughly $12 billion. SpaceX now commands a market capitalization of around $1.8 trillion following the largest IPO on record roughly five months ago, according to CNBC.
The money flows both ways. Google has agreed to pay SpaceX's AI division up to $920 million per month for computing capacity at data centers near Memphis, Tennessee. The companies are also collaborating on Project Suncatcher, launching Google's AI chips into orbit via satellites developed with Planet Labs. Google confirmed in a statement that it "remain[ed] supportive of SpaceX's mission" and looked "forward to continuing its long-standing partnership."
So the board seat is gone, but the financial entanglement is deeper than ever. Alphabet's $74 billion stake and nearly $11 billion in annual customer spending give Google enormous leverage over SpaceX — no boardroom seat required. The question isn't whether Google lost a vote at the table. It's whether that vote ever mattered as much as the checkbook.
