Eric Schmidt, the former Google LLC Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman, has reportedly quit the company after stepping down from his role as a technical adviser in February.
The departure of Schmidt marks the end of an era for Google that has undergone huge structural changes in recent years. In December, it was announced by Google that its co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin were stepping down from their roles as CEO and President. They were replaced by Google chief Sundar Pichai, who is now the CEO of the parent company Alphabet Inc.
Schmidt joined Google as its CEO in 2001 after leaving his former employer Novell Inc. He oversaw the rapid growth of Google from a small search engine startup to one of the biggest companies in the world, extending its reach to services such as email, cloud computing, and smartphones. In 2011, Schmidt stepped down as CEO in 2011 and took over as its executive chairman.
Schmidt is now working as the chairman of the U.S. government’s Defense Innovation Board, which advises the Pentagon on any promising new technologies that could have military applications. He also serves as the chairman of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, which advises the U.S. Congress on AI technology for defense purposes. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently announced that Schmidt would serve as the chairman of a new commission that would be tasked with updating the technological infrastructure and practices of the state both during and after the pandemic.
Schmidt stepped down from Alphabet’s board of directors last year but still owns 4.1 million shares of Alphabet Class C stock.
