Eric Schmidt

Schmidt was born Eric Emerson Schmidt on April 27, 1955, in Washington, D.C.; his father, Wilson Schmidt, was a professor, and his mother was Ellie Schmidt.⁠[1]

He earned a B.S. from Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private university and Ivy League member in Princeton, New Jersey. Chartered on October 22, 1746 as the College of New Jersey, it moved to Princeton in 1756 and adopted its present name in 1896. Undergraduate education leads to A.B. and B.S.E. degrees and emphasizes small-group discussion, independent research and residential college life. Graduate education spans the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering. As of October 2026, Christopher L. Eisgruber was president. Its 2026–27 operating budget was $3.407 billion, including $342 million for undergraduate aid.Open the full entry in 1976 and an M.S. and a Ph.D. from the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) is a campus of the University of California system; the University of California was founded in 1868 through a merger of two institutions and moved to Berkeley, California, in 1873.Open the full entry, in 1979 and 1982; in 1980 he married Wendy Boyle, with whom he has two daughters.⁠[1]

Early in his career Schmidt worked at Xerox PARC, Bell Laboratories and Zilog; he later served as chief technology officer and corporate executive officer of Sun Microsystems, and from 1997 he was chairman and CEO of Novell.⁠[2]

He spent 14 years at Sun Microsystems.⁠[3]

Schmidt became chairman of Google’s board in March 2001. On August 6, 2001, Google announced that he, then 46, would succeed co-founder Larry PageLarry PageLarry Page is a computer scientist and co-founder of Google who helped develop PageRank. He previously served as chief executive of Google and Alphabet and remains an Alphabet director.Open the full entry as chief executive officer, with Page becoming President, Products, and Sergey Brin President, Technology.⁠[2]

In the founders’ letter for the 2004 initial public offering, Page wrote that Google had hired Schmidt as a more experienced complement to the two founders, and that the three ran the company as a “triumvirate.”⁠[4]

Schmidt served on Apple’s board from August 2006. On August 3, 2009, Apple announced his resignation, because Google’s entry into Apple’s core businesses with Android and Chrome OS would have required him to recuse himself from much of the board’s work.⁠[5]

On October 9, 2006, Google announced it would acquire YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry for $1.65 billion in a stock-for-stock transaction. Schmidt, then CEO, said the two companies “always put our users first.”⁠[6]

In March 2009, Schmidt and his wife, Wendy Schmidt, established the ocean research organization Schmidt Ocean Institute.⁠[7]

In 2011, Schmidt handed the Google CEO role to Larry Page.⁠[8]

From 2015 to 2018, Schmidt was executive chairman of Alphabet, and from 2018 to 2020 he was Alphabet’s technical advisor.⁠[3]

On December 21, 2017, Alphabet confirmed that Schmidt would step down as executive chairman of its board to become a technical advisor on science and technology issues, while remaining on the board.⁠[8]

On August 13, 2018, Section 1051 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 established the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) as an independent commission to consider how to advance artificial intelligence and related technologies for national security; Schmidt served as its chairman.⁠[9]

He also chaired the Defense Department’s Defense Innovation Board.⁠[3]

In 2019, Schmidt left Alphabet’s board.⁠[1]

In 2021, Schmidt founded the nonprofit Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP).⁠[10]

SCSP is a subsidiary of The Eric & Wendy Schmidt Operating Foundation, and its mission is to make recommendations to strengthen America’s long-term competitiveness.⁠[11]

In 2024, Schmidt and his wife Wendy co-founded the nonprofit Schmidt Sciences; that year he also published Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit, co-written with the late Henry KissingerHenry KissingerHenry Kissinger (1923–2023) was a German-born American diplomat and political scientist who served as US national security adviser from 1969 to 1975 and as the 56th secretary of state from 1973 to 1977, the first person to hold both posts at once. He led the opening to China, détente and arms control talks with the Soviet Union, the Vietnam ceasefire negotiations and shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East, and shared the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize with Le Duc Tho; his role in Chile, Cambodia, South Asia and East Timor drew lasting criticism.Open the full entry and Craig Mundie.⁠[12]

The publisher, Hachette Book Group, describes Genesis as Kissinger’s final book; Kissinger died in November 2023.⁠[13]

On March 10, 2025, a Relativity Space spokesperson confirmed that Schmidt was succeeding co-founder Tim Ellis as CEO of the rocket company, with Ellis remaining on the board as a director. Schmidt told employees that he had made a significant investment and taken a controlling stake in the company.⁠[14]

Relativity Space’s leadership page lists Schmidt as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman.⁠[12]

Schmidt Sciences was created and funded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt, with a vision of science that provides solutions for planetary challenges.⁠[15]

AI2050, a philanthropic initiative of Schmidt Sciences conceived and co-chaired by Schmidt and James Manyika, supports researchers working on key opportunities and hard problems in AI.⁠[16]

The Broad Institute hosts the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center, which conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of the data and life sciences.⁠[17]

Schmidt co-wrote How Google Works with Jonathan Rosenberg.⁠[10]

Schmidt is listed among the trustees emeriti of the Institute for Advanced Study.⁠[18]

Personal website: Public link: https://ericschmidt.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[19]

X: Public account: https://x.com/ericschmidt (opens in a new window)⁠[19]

LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Public profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-e-schmidt/ (opens in a new window)⁠[19]

Alphabet: Official website: https://abc.xyz/ (opens in a new window)⁠[4]

Special Competitive Studies Project: Official website: https://www.scsp.ai/ (opens in a new window)⁠[11]

Schmidt Sciences: Official website: https://www.schmidtsciences.org/ (opens in a new window)⁠[15]

Relativity Space: Official website: https://www.relativityspace.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[12]

Schmidt Ocean Institute: Official website: https://schmidtocean.org/ (opens in a new window)⁠[7]