Explore the journey of Eric Schmidt, from his early days at Sun Microsystems to his influential roles at Google and Alphabet, along with his philanthropic initiatives and contributions to advancing technology and sustainability.
Eric Schmidt, former executive chairman of Alphabet, has had a notable career in technology and business. Born on April 27, 1955, in Washington, DC, Schmidt earned a B.S. from Princeton University in 1976 and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1979 and 1982 respectively.
Schmidt worked from 1983 to 1997 at Sun Microsystems, where he served as the chief technology officer until March 1997. He then became the CEO of Novell, Inc. until 2001. In March 2001, Schmidt joined Google as chairman and served as CEO from 2001 to 2011, receiving a $100 million package upon stepping down. He co-founded the Schmidt Family Foundation in 2006 with his wife Wendy to promote sustainability and education.
From April 2011 to October 2015, Schmidt was the executive chairman of Google, later transitioning to the same role at Alphabet after a corporate restructuring. He also served on various advisory boards, including being appointed head of the Defense Innovation Advisory Board by the Secretary of Defense in 2016.
Notably, Schmidt co-wrote several books and gave significant philanthropic contributions, including $150 million to the Broad Institute in 2021 for the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center. In February 2022, Schmidt Futures launched the AI2050 project, investing $125 million in artificial intelligence research. In January 2024, Forbes reported that Schmidt is launching White Stork, a start-up producing AI drones focused on operations in the US and Ukraine.
