Eric Schmidt

Eric Emerson Schmidt (born April 27, 1955) is an American businessman and software engineer. He is known for being the CEO of Google from 2001 to 2011, executive chairman of Google from 2011 to 2015, executive chairman of Alphabet from 2015 to 2017, and Technical Advisor at Alphabet from 2017 to 2020.

Early life and education

Schmidt was born in Falls Church, Virginia, and grew up in Falls Church and Blacksburg, Virginia. He completed his high school education at Yorktown High School and earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Princeton University in 1976. He later obtained a master's degree and Ph.D. in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Career

Schmidt joined Sun Microsystems in 1983 as its first software manager. He rose to become director of software engineering, vice president and general manager of the software products division, and finally president of Sun Technology Enterprises.

In 1997, Schmidt became the CEO and chairman of the board of Novell. He departed after the acquisition of Cambridge Technology Partners.

In 2001, Schmidt was recruited to Google by founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. He served as the company's CEO until 2011, when he transitioned to the role of executive chairman. During his tenure, Google experienced significant growth and launched key products such as Google Maps, Google Earth, and Gmail.

In 2015, when Google restructured to become Alphabet Inc., Schmidt became the executive chairman of the new conglomerate. He stepped down from the role in 2017 but continued as a technical advisor until 2020.

Personal life

Schmidt is married to Wendy Schmidt, and they have two daughters. He is known for his philanthropy through The Schmidt Family Foundation.

See also

• List of chief executive officers
• Google
• Alphabet Inc.

External links

• Official biography at Google