Eric Schmidt
Born 1955 · Age 70
American businessman and former computer engineer; CEO of Google (2001–2011), executive chairman of Google/Alphabet (2011–2017), technical advisor (2017–2020); founder of multiple philanthropic and policy initiatives; CEO of Relativity Space since 2025.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Falls Church, Virginia
Eric Emerson Schmidt born to Eleanor and Wilson Emerson Schmidt.
Graduated Yorktown High School
Graduated Yorktown High School (Arlington County, VA); earned eight varsity letters in long-distance running.
Bell Labs summer researcher (Lex work)
Summer research role at Bell Labs where he co-wrote Lex with Mike Lesk.
Co-authored Lex (Bell Labs)
As an intern/summer researcher at Bell Labs, co-authored 'Lex', a lexical analyzer generator used for Unix and compiler construction.
BSE from Princeton University
Graduated Princeton University with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering; switched major from architecture to electrical engineering.
Resident at International House, Berkeley
Resided at UC Berkeley's International House (1976–1980); met future wife Wendy Boyle during this period.
Earned M.S. (EECS) from UC Berkeley
Master's degree for designing and implementing 'Berknet' linking campus computer center with CS and EECS departments.
Worked at Xerox PARC (start)
Worked at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC); (Britannica places his PARC work 1979–1983).
Earned Ph.D. in EECS from UC Berkeley
PhD dissertation: 'Controlling Large Software Development in a Distributed Environment'.
Joined Sun Microsystems as first software manager
Joined Sun Microsystems and began a lengthy executive career there.
Promoted to VP, Software Products (Sun)
Promoted within Sun Microsystems to vice president of the software products division.
Promoted to VP, General Systems Group (Sun)
Became vice president of the general systems group at Sun Microsystems.
President of Sun Technology Enterprises
After Sun's reorganization, Schmidt was made president of Sun Technology Enterprises.
Returned as Chief Technology Officer (Sun)
Returned to Sun Microsystems as Chief Technology Officer; involved in Java development and promotion.
Became Chairman & CEO of Novell
Left Sun Microsystems and became CEO and chairman of Novell, steering the company during a challenging period.
Initial equity grants at Google
Granted 14,331,703 Class B shares at $0.30 and 426,892 Series C preferred shares at $2.34 upon hiring.
Departed Novell after Cambridge Technology Partners acquisition
Left Novell in 2001 following the acquisition of Cambridge Technology Partners.
Joined Google's board as chairman
Recruited by founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin; joined Google's board of directors as chair.
Became CEO of Google
Took on role of CEO, forming a management triumvirate with Page and Brin and instituting corporate infrastructure.
Google News launched
Google expanded products with the launch of Google News while Schmidt was CEO.
Blogger acquisition/launch milestone
Google added Blogger to its offerings (2003 timeframe) under Schmidt's leadership.
Agreement to $1 base salary
Schmidt and Google founders agreed to a base salary of US$1 (arrangement continued through 2010).
Gmail and Google Books launched
Under Schmidt's tenure, Google launched Gmail and Google Books in 2004.
Google initial public offering (IPO)
Oversaw Google's IPO in August 2004, a pivotal liquidity event for founders and early executives.
Google Maps and Google Earth launches
Google rolled out Maps and Earth in 2005, expanding its consumer product suite.
YouTube acquisition by Google
Google acquired YouTube in 2006 during Schmidt's CEO tenure (major strategic acquisition).
Joined Broad Institute board (later became chair)
Joined and later became chair of the Broad Institute's board of directors (chair status current).
Schmidt Family Foundation established
Eric and Wendy Schmidt established the Schmidt Family Foundation in 2006 focusing on sustainability and resource stewardship.
Chair of New America (2008–2016)
Succeeded James Fallows as chairman of New America in 2008 and served until 2016.
Elected to National Academy of Engineering
Elected to NAE in recognition of contributions to computing and industry leadership.
Listed among ARTnews top 200 art collectors
Recognized in ARTnews' list of top 200 art collectors (2008 list referenced in sources).
Elected to Apple Inc. Board of Directors
Joined Apple's board on August 28, 2006 (resigned in August 2009).
Inducted into American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Became a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
PC World ranks Schmidt among top web influencers
PC World placed Schmidt alongside Google co-founders as among the 50 most important people on the Web.
DoubleClick acquisition
Google acquired DoubleClick in 2007, bolstering its advertising business.
Supported Barack Obama campaign
Campaigned for Barack Obama during 2008 presidential campaign and later advised the administration.
Chrome and Android challenges emerge
Under Schmidt's leadership Google launched Chrome (2008) and advanced Android as a competitor to other platforms.
Named to President's Council of Advisors on Science & Technology (PCAST)
After campaigning for Obama, Schmidt became a member of PCAST and served as an informal advisor during the administration.
Endowed Princeton Schmidt Transformative Technology Fund ($25M)
Eric and Wendy Schmidt endowed Princeton with $25 million to support cross-disciplinary research in natural sciences and engineering.
Innovation Endeavors founded
Co-founded Innovation Endeavors (VC fund) with Dror Berman to invest in early-stage startups (fund based in Palo Alto).
Received $100M equity award upon stepping down
Google awarded Schmidt a $100 million equity award when he stepped down as CEO.
Announced stepping down as Google CEO
On January 20, 2011 Schmidt announced he would step down as CEO and become executive chairman and advisor to Page and Brin.
Larry Page becomes Google CEO; Schmidt becomes Executive Chairman
Larry Page replaced Schmidt as CEO on April 4, 2011; Schmidt assumed executive chairman role.
Visited North Korea (publicized trip)
Visited North Korea in January 2013 with Jared Cohen and Bill Richardson, a high-profile and controversial trip.
Visited Myanmar advocating open Internet
Visited Myanmar in March 2013 to advocate free and open internet use during its political transition.
Published 'The New Digital Age' (with Jared Cohen)
Co-authored The New Digital Age on geopolitical implications of widespread internet access.
Awarded IEEE Founders Medal
Received the IEEE Founders Medal for leadership and contributions to computing/industry.
Published 'How Google Works'
Co-authored How Google Works (NYT bestseller) with Jonathan Rosenberg and Alan Eagle.
High-Tech Employee Antitrust Litigation settlement involvement noted
Documents revealed Schmidt's involvement in illegal no-poach communications; affected settlement later led to a $415M settlement by multiple companies in 2014.
Monterey Bay Aquarium donation ($10M)
Schmidt Family Foundation donated $10 million to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in 2015.
Alphabet formed; became Executive Chairman of Alphabet
When Google reorganized into Alphabet (2015), Schmidt became executive chairman of Alphabet's board (2015–2017).
Commencement at Virginia Tech and $2M donation
Delivered Virginia Tech commencement and donated $2 million to its College of Engineering (Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean's Chair).
Acquired 20% stake in D. E. Shaw & Co.
Acquired a 20% stake in the hedge fund D. E. Shaw & Co.
Named Chair of Defense Innovation Advisory Board (DoD)
Appointed to chair a new DoD advisory board to connect tech sector innovators with the Pentagon.
Founded Schmidt Futures' 'Rise' & Science fellowship efforts (ongoing)
Schmidt Futures created programs including the Schmidt Science Fellows and Rise initiative (multi-year commitments to science leadership and youth service).
Founded Schmidt Futures
Launched Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic venture to support science, technology, and public policy initiatives.
Stepped down as Alphabet Executive Chairman; became Technical Advisor
Announced December 21, 2017 he would step down as executive chairman and transition to a technical advisor role (2017–2020).
Named first chair, U.S. National Security Commission on AI
Appointed first chair of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence; played leading role shaping AI policy.
Commission initial report and public AI advocacy
National Security Commission on AI issued reports highlighting U.S. preparedness; Schmidt retained Alphabet shares reportedly worth over $5.3B in 2019.
Reported alphabet share holdings worth >$5.3B
Reports in 2019 indicated Schmidt held Alphabet shares valued at over $5.3 billion.
Co-chaired NSCAI (with Robert O. Work)
Co-chaired the National Security Commission on AI from 2019 through 2021, producing policy recommendations.
Left role as Technical Advisor at Alphabet
Departed Alphabet in February 2020 after 19 years with the company.
Launched 'Reimagine with Eric Schmidt' podcast
Started the Reimagine podcast to discuss technology, policy, and society.
Purchased Montecito Mansion for $30.8M
Acquired a 22,000-square-foot estate overlooking Santa Barbara for $30.8 million.
Reportedly finalizing Cyprus citizenship plan
Reports indicated Schmidt was finalizing plans to become a citizen of Cyprus via investor program.
Founded Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP)
Founded the SCSP in October 2021 and has served as its chairman to advise on tech competitiveness and AI policy.
Joined Chainlink Labs as strategic advisor
Announced (Dec 2021) a strategic advisor role at Chainlink Labs, advancing crypto / Web3 interests.
Schmidts gift $12.6M to UC Berkeley
Eric and Wendy Schmidt donated $12.6 million to Berkeley to establish the Schmidt Center for Data Science and the Environment.
Chairman of Sandbox AQ (since 2022)
Served as chairman of Sandbox AQ, a quantum computing and AI company spun out of Alphabet.
Appointed to National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology
Appointed commissioner to advise on emerging biotechnology and policy recommendations to US government.
Part of purchase group for Washington Commanders ($6.05B)
Was part of an investment group led by Josh Harris that purchased the NFL Washington Commanders for $6.05 billion; Schmidt holds a minority stake.
Testified before U.S. House Committee on AI
Testified at a House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing regarding AI (March 2023).
Invested in Keeta (cross-border payments startup)
Invested in Keeta, a startup building a cross-border payments platform with proprietary ledger tech.
Awarded Honorary KBE
Appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) for services to philanthropy.
Bloomberg net worth estimate (2024)
Bloomberg estimated Schmidt's net worth at US$37.8 billion in 2024.
Bloomberg Billionaires Index rank and net worth (2025)
As of 2025 Bloomberg listed Schmidt as the world's 54th wealthiest person with estimated net worth US$33.9 billion.
Acquired controlling stake and became CEO of Relativity Space
In March 2025 Schmidt acquired a controlling stake in Relativity Space and became its CEO.
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