Eric Schmidt, the former Google CEO who became technical advisor after his term, has officially left the parent company, Alphabet, reports are saying. He has reportedly left as technical advisor last February, ending his 19-year connection with the company which started when he was brought on to be the senior advisor to Google’s young founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. This marks another step into the evolution of Google’s leadership as the “old guard” have left, bringing a new generation to the tech giant.
Schmidt served as Google CEO in 2001 and was credited with transforming the company from a start-up in Silicon Valley to a global technology powerhouse. He stepped down in 2011 but still served as executive chairman, a post that he eventually left three years ago, saying he would have no operational role within the company. He was still serving as technical advisor to both Google and Alphabet, the eventual parent company that was formed in 2015.
But according to a report from CNet, he has stepped down as technical advisor last February and now has no connection with the companies that he helped bring to where it is now. This is just the latest development in Google’s evolution. Founders Page and Brin handed over the leadership reins to Sundar Pichai as he has been running the core search business since 2015. Another member of the old management team, David Drummond, who was the legal chief for 14 years, retired in January after issues over “past relationships”.
Schmidt’s involvement with Google has been placed under close scrutiny as he started working more prominently in U.S. military initiatives. He is currently the chairman of the Defense Innovation Board, an advisory group to the President that is bringing new technology to the Pentagon. Just recently, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo also tapped him to chair a commission that will update the state’s technical infrastructure and practices in light of the pandemic.
Both Google and Schmidt have refused to comment on this latest reported development. But if true, then this may really be the start of a new era for Google and Alphabet. Whether that’s for the good of the company, we’ll find out in the next few years.
