The legal chief of Google's parent company Alphabet is stepping down following allegations of inappropriate relationships with employees.

David Drummond, who joined Google in 2002, said in company-wide email that he was planning to leave at the end of the month.

Alphabet did not give a reason for Drummond's departure in a short regulatory filing on Friday.

It comes on the heels of an investigation into his 'relationships with several women at the company' including one that resulted in him fathering a child.

David Drummond the legal chief of Google's parent company Alphabet, is leaving his position following accusations of inappropriate relationships with female employees

Last August, a former Google employee, Jennifer Blakely, published a report of her relationship with Drummond.

In the post, written on Medium, she claimed that Drummond abandoned her and their child.

Jennifer Blakely, a former Google employee, said Drummond fathered a child with her and later abandoned them

Drummond acknowledged the extramarital affair with Blakely but, in a statement at the time, he said he 'never started' a relationship with anyone else at Alphabet.

The company said Drummond is not getting an exit package as part of his departure.

His compensation package for 2018 was worth $47 million, making him one of the company's highest-paid employees, according to regulatory filings.

In a memo sent to employees, Drummond said that with founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin 'now leaving their executive roles at Alphabet, 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.'

He did not mention the misconduct allegations.

Drummond acknowledged the extramarital affair with Blakely but, in a statement at the time, he said he 'never started' a relationship with anyone else at Alphabet

Drummond said Page and Brin asked for his help more than 20 years ago when what became Google and Alphabet was just an unincorporated startup.

He joined Google full time in 2002 and was named chief legal officer in 2006.

Drummond's departure comes as Alphabet, like other big tech companies, faces regulatory pressures around the world.

Last March, Europe's antitrust regulators ordered it to pay 1.49 billion euros ($1.7 billion) for freezing out rivals in the online advertising business. It also faces antitrust probes in the US as lawmakers question its power and dominance.