Commissioner Bio
Dr. Eric Schmidt
Eric Schmidt is an accomplished technologist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. As Google’s Chief Executive Officer, he pioneered the company’s transformation from a Silicon Valley startup to a global leader in technology. He served there as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman from 2001-2011, Executive Chairman from 2011-2018, and most recently as Technical Advisor from 2018-2020. Under his leadership, Google dramatically scaled its infrastructure and diversified its product offerings while maintaining a strong culture of innovation. Prior to his career at Google, Eric held leadership roles at Novell and Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Eric has received numerous accolades and supports a variety of esteemed organizations. He was a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and served as the founding Chairman of the Department of Defense’s Innovation Board for four years, during which time he was awarded the Medal for Distinguished Public Service by Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter. He was also a member of NASA’s National Space Council User Advisory Group for two years which was chaired by the Vice President. He previously served as the Chairman of the US National Security Commission for Artificial Intelligence for three years and is currently Chairman of the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), an initiative he launched in 2021 that will make recommendations to strengthen America’s long-term global competitiveness for a future where artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies reshape our national security, economy, and society. He also serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of The Broad Institute, as well as on the board of The Mayo Clinic, and the Advisory Board at UC Berkeley.
An accomplished author, he has co-authored three New York Times bestsellers, The New Digital Age, How Google Works, Trillion Dollar Coach. In 2021, Eric co-authored the WSJ bestselling book The Age of AI: And Our Human Future with Dr. Henry Kissinger and Professor Daniel Huttenlocher.
Inspired to continue to give back, Eric and his wife Wendy have founded several philanthropic initiatives under the umbrella of the Schmidt Family Foundations including the Marine Science and Technology Foundation, the Schmidt Ocean Institute, and Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation. In 2017, they co-founded Schmidt Futures, which bets early on exceptional people making the world better, applying science and technology thoughtfully, and bringing people together across fields.
Eric holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Princeton University as well as a master’s degree and Ph.D. in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley.
