This morning, I told HowStuffWorks.com editor and TechStuff co-host Chris Pollette that I wouldn’t write about Google or Apple. Looking back over the last two weeks, the TechStuff blog has been absolutely crammed with news about the two companies. But this story, which features both Google and Apple, is big enough to make me break my vow. Don’t worry — once I’m finished writing I’ll stand in the corner for a time out.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt is a man of many hats. But as AP writer Barbara Ortutay points out, one of those chapeaux has got to go — he’s stepping down from Apple’s board of directors. One might ask what he was doing there in the first place. Large corporations frequently appoint people from outside the company to serve on the board. This gives the corporation the benefit of the outsider’s perspective as well as a wealth of experience gained elsewhere.

But then there’s the concept of a conflict of interests. This arises when a member of the board works with an organization that either competes against or works with the company. The board member could, in theory, use his or her influence with the board to a personal advantage. That’s a big no-no in business.