Skip to main content

Eric Schmidt

See All Stories

Talking Schmidt: Google Chairman SHOCKED at NSA hacking of Google network, says he told buddy Obama that it is ‘not OK’

Site default logo image

[protected-iframe id=”b39f4611921b09f9ac17e6fc7b8a4f06-22427743-8994189″ info=”http://live.wsj.com/public/page/embed-EDDA7151_9316_4F64_80FA_EFC2F9F707BD.html” width=”512″ height=”288″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”]

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt expressed his shock at reports that the NSA tapped into the internal communications links between Google servers, describing it as “outrageous” in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. The claim was made as part of the ongoing PRISM revelations.

It’s really outrageous that the National Security Agency was looking between the Google data centers, if that’s true. The steps that the organization was willing to do without good judgment to pursue its mission and potentially violate people’s privacy, it’s not OK … 
Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt responds to Oracle CEO Larry Ellison’s claim of evil, stealing: “Scoreboard”

Site default logo image

eric-schmidt

Earlier this month, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison claimed that Google and its CEO Larry Page were “absolutely evil” and used Oracle’s “stuff” through its use of Java in Android. Oracle originally sued Google for the supposed stolen code, but Oracle lost the $6 billion legal battle. After Ellison’s latest comments, however, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt has finally decided to respond to the claims.

In response to claims that Google “took [Oracle’s] stuff,” Schmidt proclaimed those as “simply untrue” and that the U.S. District Court agrees with him.

We typically try to avoid getting dragged into public battles with other companies. But I’ve gotten a lot of questions about Larry Ellison’s claims that Google “took [Oracle’s] stuff”.  It’s simply untrue — and that’s not just my opinion, but the judgment of a U.S. District Court.

Schmidt went on to give the backstory of the lawsuit, saying that “you cannot copyright an idea, like a method of operation” and the ruling in the Google vs Oracle battle “protects a principle vital to innovation.”
Expand
Expanding
Close

Eric Schmidt finally gives up his Blackberry for a Motorola X

Site default logo image

Business Leaders Meet In Sun Valley, Idaho For Allen And Co. Annual Conference

When Dennis Woodside introduced the Moto X Phone back at the AllThingsD conference, he teased that he was carrying the device as his primary phone, but  he couldn’t show it to us. It turns out that Google chairman Eric Schmidt is also using the phone, but while at the Allen & Co. business conference, he didn’t make any attempt to hide it from the press, as Italian site Corriera.it has posted a gallery of photos of him using it (via The Verge).

Schmidt was pictured using the white model of the phone, though much like the white Nexus 4, the front remains all black. The phone appears to have a design that is thicker in the middle than around the edges, which means you won’t be able to set it on a flat surface and use it very easily. It looks like Schmidt has finally broken his habit of using a Blackberry, which he admitted was a pretty hard habit to break earlier this year.

Another leaked image of the device in black also recently appeared on Chinese site Weibo, though we can’t really tell much from it that we didn’t already know.

The X Phone is expected to be a device heavily customized by the user, so if you aren’t a fan of the white design, don’t get to worried. The release date is still up in the air, though a leaked document pointed at an August 23rd date for Verizon.

View all of the images below…


Expand
Expanding
Close

Talking Schmidt: “Google is a capitalist country … company”

Site default logo image

Google's Eric Schmidt in Burma

In the fifth installment of our continuing series Talking Schmidt we bring you the most insightful lines from Google Chairman Eric Schmidt.

Schmidt, who is promoting his new book The New Digital Age with his coauthor Jared Cohen, responded to UK politician Ed Miliband’s call for “responsible capitalism” earlier this week.

He reminded Miliband that Google is a country… ahem, company powered by profit and projects like wearable computing and self-driving cars better serve Google than forfeiting more of its profits to various governments.

“Google is a capitalist country … company,” he corrected himself, to laughter from the audience. “It’s easy to say you would like us to have to have less profits and have that somewhere else. We will comply with the letter of the law, but we’re trying to avoid being doubly and triply taxes, which would prevent us investing in some of the wilder things we do.”


Expand
Expanding
Close

Talking Schmidt: Don’t Be Evil is “the stupidest rule ever”

Site default logo image
(Businessweek / Peg Korpinski)

(Businessweek / Peg Korpinski)

In our continuing series Talking Schmidt we bring you the most insightful lines from Google Chairman Eric Schmidt.

Schmidt, who is promoting his new book The New Digital Age, spoke with NPR over the weekend on the Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! program in a rather lighthearted appearance.

NPR host Peter Sagal asked the executive chairman how much Google knew about its users at the top of show, which prompted Schmidt to admit, “Well, as much as you’ll let us know.”

Schmidt also mentioned that the company really doesn’t quite know the definition of evil, from its famous slogan “Don’t Be Evil,” and that he thought it was “the stupidest rule ever” when he joined the company.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Talking Schmidt: Even dictators care about their reputations

Site default logo image
(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Steve Jobs welcomes Eric Schmidt at Macworld Expo 2007 (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

In our continuing series Talking Schmidt we bring you the most insightful lines from Google Chairman Eric Schmidt.

Schmidt, who is promoting his new book The New Digital Age with his coauthor Jared Cohen, recently spoke alongside his coauthor to Nathan Gardels of the Global Viewpoint Network.

When asked about the role of technology and social networks in creating change in government, Schmidt replied, “Even dictators care about their reputations.”


Expand
Expanding
Close

Talking Schmidt: I propose that at the age of 18, you should change your name [Video]

Site default logo image
via edudemic.com

via edudemic.com

Wow, that didn’t take long. Last week we debuted our new series Talking Schmidt where we take a moment to celebrate some of the Google chairman’s more colorful statements, and today Schmidt already delivered the next round of material.

Eric Schmidt spoke today (as he has been doing an awful lot lately) at New York University’s Stern school of business where he jokingly suggested that young people should change their name at the age of 18 as a general policy to address growing privacy concerns that Internet services present.

We can probably expect more of these unforgettable lines as Eric Schmidt promotes his new book The New Digital Age with his coauthor Jared Cohen.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Talking Schmidt: YouTube has already won the battle with TV

Site default logo image
Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google / via telegraph.co.uk

Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google / via <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk" target="_blank">telegraph.co.uk</a>

In recent months Google Chairman Eric Schmidt has proven himself a spokesperson worthy of making the headlines.

From singing the praises of his BlackBerry (no, I didn’t misspell Android) to claiming Apple is holding out on approving Google Now for iOS (turns out that wasn’t accurate), we couldn’t resist debuting our new series, Talking Schmidt, where we bring you the latest zingers from the chairman himself.

In the premier installment of Talking Schmidt, we will unpack the chairman’s recent claim that YouTube has defeated your TV in the competition for your attention.


Expand
Expanding
Close

WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange & Google Exec Chairman Eric Schmidt met for five hour chat … but it isn’t as interesting as you’d hope

Site default logo image

transcript

When a transcript is posted of a five-hour secret meeting between WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange and Google’s Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, you’d expect it to be pretty riveting stuff. Only … it isn’t, very …
Expand
Expanding
Close

Full video of Eric Schmidt conversation at D: Dive into Mobile

Site default logo image

[protected-iframe id=”5a4f91535eaa78e35a8f66b09419e08a-22427743-39900168″ info=”http://live.wsj.com/public/page/embed-3C3DD190_BBFF_403E_B635_B5BC711E927A.html” width=”512″ height=”288″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”]

We brought you the best quotes here:

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt talks Android activations, Chinese government, social change, and privacy

Check out the full video via AllthingsD
Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt’s book ‘The New Digital Age’, available for pre-order shipping April 23

Site default logo image

41ey9DCdeGL

Eric Schmidt and Google Ideas’ Jared Cohen (author of Children of Jihad) have penned a book about how technology will profoundly affect the lives of everyone in the coming years. It gets some pretty impressive reviews from some pretty impressive people, below. You can pre-order it for shipping now April 23rd from Amazon for $18
Expand
Expanding
Close

Court docs reveal email exchange between Eric Schmidt and Steve Jobs over poaching employees

Site default logo image

apple2_verge_super_wide
google2_verge_super_wide

Earlier this month, a U.S. District Judge in California ordered Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and others to give depositions in an ongoing private lawsuit. Employees brought on the private lawsuit alleging  “no-poach” agreements the companies entered would drive down wages. Today, new details have emerged after a request to keep court documents secrets was denied by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh.

While emails exchanged between Steve Jobs and former Palm CEO Ed Colligan have been the focus on the documents, The Verge also pointed us to emails exchange between Jobs and Google execs. Below we have an email form Jobs to Schmidt asking to put a stop to Google recruiting employees from its iPod team, as well as one where Schmidt discussed not wanting to create a paper trail:
Expand
Expanding
Close

Site default logo image

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt ordered to give deposition in anti-poaching lawsuit

From 9to5Mac:

Apple CEO Tim Cook has been ordered by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose to give a deposition related to an ongoing private lawsuit that claims Apple, Google, and others entered “no-poach” agreements, as reported by Bloomberg. Cook isn’t the only executive named in yesterday’s order. Google Chairman Eric Schmidt will also be deposed on Feb. 20, as well as Intel Chief Executive Officer Paul Otellini later this month.

The judge said she was disappointed that senior executives at the companies involved hadn’t been deposed before yesterday’s hearing over whether she should certify the case as a group lawsuit. The class would include different categories of employees whose incomes, their lawyers argue, were artificially reduced because of the collusion. Koh didn’t rule on class certification.

At Koh’s request, the lawyers also agreed that Google Chairman Eric Schmidt will be deposed Feb. 20. Lawyers for the employees will depose Intel Chief Executive Officer Paul Otellini later this month, lawyers said.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt continues media tour with hourlong Bloomberg interview (Video)

Site default logo image

[ooyala code=”dvandrNzr5e2Qtp2rNGoVpazhG8dO4j8″]

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt sat down with Bloomberg to talk Android vs. Apple, and the former CEO seems to think Android is leading over Apple at a rate similar to Microsoft’s growth in desktop software during the 90s.

“This is a huge platform change; this is of the scale of 20 years ago — Microsoft versus Apple,” said Schmidt to Bloomberg. “We’re winning that war pretty clearly now.”

Google cofounder Larry Page succeeded Schmidt as Google’s chief executive officer in April 2011, and now Schmidt, among many other tasks, acts as a kind of executive spokesperson for the Mountain View, Calif.-based company. During the last year alone, Schmidt talked publicly and candidly about Google’s position on free speech and privacy, the fearful repercussions of the Internet, and even robots and holographic telepresence.

During Schmidt’s hour-long interview with Bloomberg (see video above), he discussed—aside from Apple—everything from economic growth in the United States and China and tax shelters to Google+ and spectrum sharing. Schmidt is a member of a White House advisory group and supports a proposal that urges federal agencies and commercial users to share airwaves.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Eric Schmidt talks YouTube & Google’s position on free speech and privacy (Video)

Site default logo image

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXblqVPvSpM&feature=youtu.be]

ReutersTV posted this video of Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt speaking at the RAND Corp.’s “Politics Aside” conference in Culver City on Nov. 19. During the 32-minute-long interview, Schmidt discussed Google’s position on free speech, privacy, and described the process of removing potentially inappropriate user-generated content on YouTube.

Google Chairman talks Android, Maps and Apple

Site default logo image

[protected-iframe id=”fba4968a820a17cc068f8ee5f5f51b11-22754319-13611283″ info=”http://new.livestream.com/accounts/1249127/events/1589787/videos/4688906/player?autoPlay=false&height=396&mute=false&width=704″ width=”704″ height=”396″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”]

Google’s executive chairman Eric Schmidt sat down for an AllThingsD talk last night with Walt Mossberg. Among other topics, they not-surprisingly discussed Android and his thoughts on Apple. Much of the talk centered around Schmidt’s thoughts on the Android-Apple platform fight, which he called “the defining fight in the industry today.” He also noted there is a “huge race specifically between Apple and the Android platform for additional features,” and he commented on Apple’s Maps situation:

The Android-Apple platform fight is the defining contest. Here’s why: Apple has thousands of developers building for it. Google’s platform, Android, is even larger. Four times more Android phones than Apple phones. 500 million phones already in use. Doing 1.3 million activations a day. We’ll be at 1 billion mobile devices in a year.

At the 17:30 mark, Schmidt began to talk about Apple’s new Maps app controversy: “Apple should have kept with our maps”…

Expand
Expanding
Close

Andy Rubin announces 500M Android activations to date ahead of tomorrow’s iPhone 5 event

Site default logo image

Are you ready for the latest breakdown of Android’s performance ahead of Apple’s iPhone 5 event tomorrow afternoon? Android boss Andy Rubin just announced this evening that 500 million Android devices have been activated to date, which follows Eric Schmidt’s announcement of 480,000 devices last week. Rubin reiterated Schmidt’s announcement, claiming 1.3 million Android devices are being activated daily (70,000 of which are tablets). Last week, we calculated Google could hit a whopping 1 billion devices activated in a year’s time at its current growth. Tonight’s announcement was definitely interesting timing.

[tweet https://twitter.com/Arubin/status/245663570812100608]


Expand
Expanding
Close

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich ported to the $25 Raspberry Pi

Site default logo image

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgJ7yck1qwY&feature=player_embedded]

We already knew Google supported the Raspberry Pi’s goal of bringing inexpensive and programmable hardware to everyone when Eric Schmidt announced some education investments would go toward purchasing the hardware and providing them to educators as teaching aids. However, we get word from the Raspberry Pi foundation today that Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich has now been ported to the $25 ARM GNU/Linux box. The announcement confirmed “hardware-accelerated graphics and video have been up and running smoothly,” but audio is still missing thanks to AudioFlinger support issues. The blog post continued:


Expand
Expanding
Close

Report: Google draws up antitrust settlement outline with EU to dodge legal battle

Site default logo image

Google and the European Commission consented to the “outlines of a settlement” today, according to The Financial Times (via SearchEngineLand), which, if inked, would spare the search engine from official antitrust charges.

Europe’s premier competition watchdog has long accused the Mountain View, Calif.-based Company of abusing its dominance to suppress opponents in the market. Google previously said it would make company-wide changes to avoid a legal battle and expensive fines, and it seems the most recent outcome of those discussions is a new settlement draft of which the details are currently unknown. The rough deal reportedly also extends to a contentious matter that surfaced late in the talks—mobile search.

Joaquin Almunia, the European Union’s vice president of the European commission responsible for competition, sent a letter to Google Executive Chairperson Eric Schmidt in May. The letter detailed the antitrust investigation into Google’s search practices, and it offered the search engine a chance to remedy its “abuses” by settling.

“I have just sent a letter to Eric Schmidt setting out these four points. In this letter, I offer Google the possibility to come up in a matter of weeks with first proposals of remedies to address each of these points,” said Alumnia.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer had some lovely words for former Google CEO Eric Schmidt

Site default logo image

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvsboPUjrGc&feature=player_embedded]

The August issue of Vanity Fair fully dissects “How Microsoft Lost Its Mojo,” but it also gives an interesting glimpse at how the once-reigning tech company foolishly underestimated Google.

The actual article is not online, but BetaBeat obtained a physical copy and found a little nugget buried inside that describes chief executive Steve Ballmer going on a rampage in 2004. After allegedly throwing a chair, the CEO had this to scream say about an engineer who left Microsoft for Google:

“Fucking Eric Schmidt is a fucking pussy!” Ballmer yelled, according to the court document. “I’m going to fucking bury that guy! I have done it before and I will do it again. I’m going to fucking kill Google.”

Ballmer is notorious for his emotional antics and miscalculated quotes about the competition. The video atop is a perfect demonstration of Ballmer going, well, crazy. Meanwhile, the video below shows the executive laughing about the iPhone in 2007, while dismissing its ability to handle business-oriented tasks due to its lack of a tangible keyboard.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Big Google TV news reportedly being announced at Google I/O this Wednesday

Site default logo image

It would not be too far-fetched to claim Google TV is a lackluster affair— even after it has been on the market for close to two years. Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said one of the issues with Google TV is that it is not embedded in enough set-top boxes. That could be the problem—or maybe it is just the software. I guess that is up-to personal interpretation. However, at this year’s Google I/O conference, we may get a closer look at a totally revamped Google TV platform that could change the direction of the platform.

Clayton Morris of Fox News, who cited “people familiar with the keynote,” reported that Google would announce a slew of updates for the platform. Morris pointed to the biggest announcement being a joint live TV, DVR, and Netflix interface that will allow you to see all of your content in one place. It is said to let you watch the content you want anywhere without having to dig to find it. Other features that will be shown-off include an AirPlay-like interface for watching content between the smartphone and TV, with a focus on getting third-party apps on the Google TV platform. It should certainly be interesting, along with the tablet and Jelly Bean news expected to unveil.

Last December, Schmidt made some bullish comments. He claimed Google TV will be “embedded in the majority of new TVs by summer of 2012. ″ Time is certainly running out on that promise, Mr. Schmidt. In February, GigaOm said Google TV device sales only looked to be in the 500,000 to 1 million-unit range. Ouchies. Google also launched a new Google TV website design this evening:


Expand
Expanding
Close

Manage push notifications

notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
Please wait...processing
notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
Please wait...processing