Eric Schmidt, known unaffectionately in these parts as Eric T. Mole, has quietly ended his 19-year tenure at Google, where he was brought in to be the so-called “adult supervision” to the company’s young founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
In August 2009, Schmidt “resigned” from Apple’s Board of Directors about which we wrote at the time “should have happened the day Google announced Android.”
Alphabet Inc.’s then-executive chairman Eric Schmidt wearing staff badge at Hillary Clinton “victory” party on election night, Tuesday, November 8, 2016Eric Schmidt, who drove Google’s transformation from Silicon Valley start-up to global titan, is no longer an adviser to the search giant and its parent Alphabet…
Schmidt’s role at Google had gradually diminished after he stepped down as CEO in 2011. Still, his ties to the company have spurred blowback as Schmidt increases his work on US military initiatives. He chairs the Defense Innovation Board, an advisory group aimed at bringing new technology to the Pentagon, including advancements in machine learning. He’s also chairman of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, which advises Congress on AI for defense. Critics, though, worry Schmidt could unfairly push Google’s financial interests when it comes to his work with the military.
Earlier this week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Schmidt would serve as chair of a commission that’ll be tasked with updating the state’s technological infrastructure and practices during and after the coronavirus pandemic. The group will tackle subjects including telehealth, internet broadband and remote learning, Schmidt said. The appointment also prompted concerns about the influence of big tech in the public sector, especially given Google’s past data privacy scandals.
Schmidt’s exit means he is officially, if symbolically, off Alphabet’s payroll. He was earning $1 per year in the adviser role.
