Eric Schmidt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eric Schmidt
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Schmidt in 2011
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Eric Emerson Schmidt
April 27, 1955 Falls Church, Virginia, U.S.
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| Citizenship | |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Title |
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| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) |
Wendy Boyle
(m. 1980) |
| Children |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computer engineering |
| Thesis | Controlling Large Software Development in a Distributed Environment (1982) |
| Doctoral advisor | Bob Fabry Richard Fateman |
Eric Emerson Schmidt (born April 27, 1955) is an American businessman and computer engineer. He is best known for being the chief executive officer (CEO) of Google from 2001 to 2011. After that, he was the company's executive chairman until 2015. He also served as executive chairman of Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc., from 2015 to 2017. He was a technical advisor at Alphabet until 2020. As of December 2024, he is one of the wealthiest people in the world.
Before joining Google, Schmidt worked at Bell Labs and Sun Microsystems. He was also the CEO of Novell from 1997 to 2001. Schmidt has been part of many important groups in education and business. These include the boards of Apple and Princeton University. He also owns a small part of the Washington Commanders, an NFL team.
Schmidt has also advised the U.S. government on science and technology. He helped found Schmidt Futures, a group that supports new ideas. He also led the U.S. National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. This group looks at how AI affects national security.
Early life and education
Eric Schmidt was born in Falls Church, Virginia. He later moved to Blacksburg, Virginia. His mother had a master's degree in psychology. His father, Wilson Emerson Schmidt, was a professor of international economics. He also worked for the U.S. Treasury Department. Eric spent some of his childhood in Italy because of his father's job. He says this experience changed how he saw the world.
Schmidt went to Yorktown High School in Virginia. He was good at long-distance running. In 1972, he graduated from high school. He then went to Princeton University. He first studied architecture but changed to electrical engineering. He earned his engineering degree in 1976.
From 1976 to 1980, Schmidt lived at the International House Berkeley. There, he met his future wife, Wendy Boyle. In 1979, he earned a master's degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He designed a computer network called Berknet. In 1982, he earned his PhD there. His research was about managing large software projects.
Career
Early career
Early in his career, Schmidt worked at several technology companies. These included Bell Labs and PARC. At Bell Labs, he helped create a program called Lex. This program is used to build compilers, which turn computer code into programs.
Sun Microsystems
In 1983, Schmidt joined Sun Microsystems. He was their first software manager. He moved up to become a vice president and president of Sun Technology Enterprises.
While at Sun, he was the target of two funny April Fool's Day pranks. Once, his office was taken apart and rebuilt on a platform in the middle of a pond. It even had a working phone! Another time, a Volkswagen Beetle car was taken apart and put back together inside his office.
Novell
In 1997, Schmidt became the CEO of Novell. This was a time when Novell's main product was being replaced by newer technologies. He left Novell in 2001.
Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the founders of Google, met Eric Schmidt. They were impressed and asked him to lead their company. This happened in 2001.
In March 2001, Schmidt joined Google's board of directors as chairman. He became the CEO in August 2001. At Google, Schmidt worked with Page and Brin to run the company every day. He helped Google grow very fast. He made sure the company kept making high-quality products.
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When he started at Google, Eric Schmidt earned a salary and stock. In 2004, he and the Google founders decided to take a base salary of just $1 per year. Most of his other pay was for things like personal security and private flights.
In 2007, PC World magazine named Schmidt one of the most important people on the internet. He was listed along with Google co-founders Page and Brin. In 2011, Forbes magazine said he was one of the richest people in the world.
On January 20, 2011, Google announced that Schmidt would step down as CEO. He became the executive chairman and an advisor to Page and Brin. Google gave him a large stock award when he stepped down. On April 4, 2011, Larry Page became the new CEO.
On December 21, 2017, Schmidt announced he would step down as executive chairman of Alphabet. He said it was the right time for this change. In February 2020, Schmidt left his role as technical advisor at Alphabet. He had been with the company for 19 years.
Department of Defense
In 2016, Schmidt became the head of a new advisory board for the Department of Defense. This board helps connect technology leaders with the Pentagon. He left this position in November 2020.
From 2019 to 2021, Schmidt also co-chaired the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence.
Apple
On August 28, 2006, Schmidt joined Apple Inc.'s board of directors. He stayed in this role until August 2009.
Other ventures
Schmidt has served on the boards of many universities, like Carnegie Mellon University and Princeton University. He also taught at Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is on the boards of the Khan Academy and The Economist.
In 2010, Schmidt co-founded Innovation Endeavors. This is a company that invests in new technology startups. It has invested in companies like Uber.
In 2020, Schmidt started working with the U.S. government. Their goal is to create a tech college. This college would train future coders and cybersecurity experts. In 2020, Schmidt also launched a podcast called Reimagine with Eric Schmidt.
In 2023, Schmidt was part of a group that bought the Washington Commanders. This is an American football team in the National Football League (NFL). They paid $6.05 billion, which was the highest price ever for a sports team.
Schmidt has also helped fund AI companies that create technology for military uses.
Political contributions
Schmidt was an advisor and donor to Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. He campaigned for Obama in October 2008. After Obama won, Schmidt became part of his transition advisory board. He then joined the United States President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Schmidt has suggested that a good way to solve problems in the U.S. is to support renewable energy. He believes this can help replace fossil fuels over time.
In 2016, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter asked Schmidt to lead the Defense Innovation Advisory Board. This board helps the Pentagon become more creative and adaptable.
Philanthropy
Schmidt Family Foundation
The Schmidt Family Foundation was started in 2006 by Wendy Schmidt and Eric Schmidt. It focuses on sustainability and using natural resources wisely.
Schmidt and his wife also created the Eric & Wendy Schmidt Data Science for Social Good Fellowship. This is a summer program at the University of Chicago for young data scientists.
The foundation supports the Schmidt Ocean Institute. This institute helps ocean research by operating a special ship called the RV Falkor. The Schmidts have also worked on projects on Nantucket island. These projects help protect the island's unique character.
Mrs. Schmidt offered a prize for the Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup X CHALLENGE. This challenge looked for better ways to clean up crude oil from seawater. This was inspired by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
In 2015, the foundation gave $10 million to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. In 2022, the Schmidts gave $12.6 million to their alma mater, Berkeley. This helped create the Schmidt Center for Data Science and the Environment.
Schmidt Transformative Technology Fund
In 2009, Eric and Wendy Schmidt gave $25 million to Princeton University. This money created the Schmidt Transformative Technology Fund. The fund supports research in science and engineering. It encourages different fields to work together.
Schmidt Science Fellows
The Schmidt Science Fellows program helps young scientists become leaders. It also encourages them to work across different science areas. The program offers special sessions at top universities like Oxford and Harvard. Fellows receive money to study new things that are different from what they already know.
Rise
Rise is a program from Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust. It helps talented young people aged 15 to 17 from all over the world. The program aims to encourage them to serve others throughout their lives. It provides support like scholarships and career help.
Public positions
Privacy
Eric Schmidt has talked about the balance between privacy and how technology works. He once said that if you have something you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it. He also mentioned that search engines keep information for some time.
However, later he said that sharing too much personal information could be bad, especially for teenagers. He said that Google sometimes "forgets" information about people because it's the right thing to do. In 2013, he called it "outrageous" when he learned that the NSA was secretly spying on Google's data centers.
Network neutrality
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In 2010, Schmidt explained Google's view on network neutrality. This means that internet providers should not slow down or block certain types of data. He said it's okay to prioritize different types of data, like voice calls over video. But they should not favor one person's video over another's.
Influence of Internet usage in North Korea
In January 2013, Schmidt visited North Korea with Jared Cohen and former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson. This trip was widely discussed because of the ongoing tension between North Korea and the United States.
Advocating open Internet use in Myanmar
In March 2013, Schmidt visited Myanmar. The country was changing from military rule to a democracy. During his visit, Schmidt spoke about the importance of free and open internet use in Myanmar.
Technology advocacy
In January 2015, Schmidt and Jared Cohen met with Pope Francis. They talked about technology and society. This was the first time the Pope met with a major technology leader.
Authored books and publications
The New Digital Age
In 2013, Schmidt and Jared Cohen wrote The New Digital Age. This book talks about how the internet and access to information are changing the world.
How Google Works
In 2014, Schmidt co-authored How Google Works. This book shares business lessons from his time leading Google. He argues that successful companies need smart and creative employees. He believes companies should give employees freedom and make decisions quickly.
The Age of AI: And Our Human Future
In 2021, Schmidt co-authored "The Age of AI: And Our Human Future" with Henry Kissinger and Daniel Huttenlocher.
Schmidt's Law
In the early 1990s, Schmidt predicted that the internet network would become as powerful as a computer itself. This idea was called "Schmidt's Law." It means that as networks get faster, computers become less important on their own. Their value moves to things like searching and sorting information online.
Personal life
In June 1980, Schmidt married Wendy Susan Boyle. They lived in Atherton, California. They have a daughter named Sophie. They also had another daughter, Alison, who passed away in 2017. Eric and Wendy continue to work together on their charity projects.
In January 2013, Schmidt visited North Korea with his daughter Sophie.
In 2015, Schmidt bought a part of D. E. Shaw & Co., a financial company. He also invests in another investment fund called CargoMetrics.
In April 2015, Schmidt gave a speech at Virginia Tech. He also donated $2 million to their College of Engineering. This donation honored his long-time friend, Paul Torgersen, a former president of Virginia Tech.
In 2020, Schmidt bought a large house in Santa Barbara for over $30 million. In November 2020, he became a citizen of Cyprus. This allows him to live in any country in the European Union.
In 2024, his wealth was estimated to be $37.8 billion. In 2024, Schmidt was given an award called an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his charity work.
See also
In Spanish: Eric Schmidt para niños
- List of billionaires
- 70/20/10 Model – a business idea Schmidt supported
- RechargeIT
