Eric Schmidt is an accomplished technologist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. As Google’s Chief Executive Officer, he pioneered the company’s transformation from a Silicon Valley startup to a global leader in technology. He served there as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman from 2001-2011, Executive Chairman from 2011-2018, and most recently as Technical Advisor from 2018-2020. Under his leadership, Google dramatically scaled its infrastructure and diversified its product offerings while maintaining a strong culture of innovation. Prior to his career at Google, Eric held leadership roles at Novell and Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Eric has received numerous accolades and supports a variety of esteemed organizations. He was a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and served as the founding Chairman of the Department of Defense’s Innovation Board for four years, during which time he was awarded the Medal for Distinguished Public Service by Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter. He was also a member of NASA’s National Space Council User Advisory Group for two years which was chaired by the Vice President. He served as the Chairman of the US National Security Commission for Artificial Intelligence for three years and is currently Chairman of the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), an initiative he launched in 2021 that will make recommendations to strengthen America’s long-term global competitiveness for a future where artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies reshape our national security, economy, and society. He also serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of The Broad Institute, as well as on the board of The Mayo Clinic, the Advisory Board at UC Berkeley, and is a member of the Cornell Tech Board of Overseers. He also serves as Chairman of Steel Perlot, an AI and analytics company of companies.An accomplished author, he has co-authored three New York Times bestsellers, The New Digital Age, How Google Works, Trillion Dollar Coach. In 2021, Eric co-authored the WSJ bestselling book The Age of AI: And Our Human Future with Dr. Henry Kissinger and Professor Daniel Huttenlocher. He is a Gulfstream pilot, and his philanthropic efforts through The Schmidt Family Foundation and Schmidt Ocean Institute focus on climate change, including the support of ocean and marine life studies at sea, as well as education and cutting-edge research and technology in the natural sciences and engineering space.Inspired to continue to give back, he co-founded Schmidt Futures in 2017, which bets early on exceptional people making the world better, applying science and technology thoughtfully, and bringing people together across fields. In 2019, Eric and his wife Wendy announced a new $1 billion philanthropic commitment to identify and support talent across disciplines and around the globe. As part of this effort, Schmidt Futures, in partnership with the Rhodes Trust, launched Rise, the anchor initiative focused on increasing opportunities for extraordinary young people worldwide and empowering them to serve their communities.Eric holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Princeton University as well as a master’s degree and Ph.D. in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley.
