Alphabet’s Chief Legal Officer Stepping Down Amid Investigation

SAN FRANCISCO — David Drummond, the chief legal officer of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and one of its most senior executives, is resigning amid an investigation into his relationships with women at the company.

In an email sent to employees at Google and Alphabet, Mr. Drummond, who joined Google in 2002 as its first general counsel, said he planned to leave Alphabet at the end of the month. He said that it was the “right time for me to make way for the next generation of leaders” in light of Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google’s founders, announcing plans to step back from a day-to-day role at the company.

The continued employment of Mr. Drummond was a source of frustration for many Google employees in the aftermath of an article from The New York Times in 2018 that disclosed how the company handled sexual harassment complaints and inappropriate relationships of its top executives.

Mr. Drummond had an extramarital relationship with a woman who worked for him and recently married another woman from Google’s legal department. A committee of independent directors from Alphabet’s board hired a law firm to investigate its handling of allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate relationships by current and former executives.

Alphabet’s board is investigating allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate relationships by current and former executives as part of its legal defense against shareholder lawsuits over its handling of the matters, according to documents viewed by The Times.

The internet giant’s board formed a special litigation committee of independent directors this year and hired the law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore to investigate the claims made in one such shareholder lawsuit, according to the documents.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.