ERIC SCHMIDT

Former Chairman, Google/Alphabet

“That stereotype of a general manager is not really how the world works today. Now the managers are uniquely good at something and then they learn other things. I don’t think it matters where you start, but you need to be incredibly good at that one thing and then you broaden your skills. Discipline, hard work, and loving what you do will get you very far.”

Eric Schmidt was educated and trained as an engineer, became the CEO of a tech company, Novell, and seemed destined, given his intellect and knowledge of the Silicon Valley tech world, to be a long-time tech industry leader—though perhaps at a less visible level than ultimately occurred after his meeting with Sergey Brin and Larry Page, who were being pushed by their venture investors to find an “adult” to serve as CEO of a young search-engine company, Google.

The explosive growth of Google (now Alphabet) and its revolutionary search-engine algorithm is well known to anyone not sleeping under a rock for the last two decades. The company now has a market value in excess of $1 trillion; had an annual revenue of almost $161 billion for fiscal year 2019; employed more than 123,000 individuals as of early 2020; and processes an estimated 1.2 trillion searches a year in its core search business. What may not be quite as well known is that Schmidt, in his role as Google CEO (for nine-plus years), brought seasoned management, finance, and operations experience to the venture that the two founders of Google were widely seen as needing by their Silicon Valley venture-capitalist backers.

Google’s success—indeed omnipresence—was not inevitable. There were already many search-engine companies when Google came along. Its search mousetrap may have been better than others, but that does not guarantee success in Silicon Valley.

A good deal of Google’s early success, its public listing, and its almost unprecedented market-value growth as a public company can be attributed to the experienced leadership Eric provided Sergey and Larry and the other young technologists and engineers in the company’s early days.

Although now retired from his CEO and board positions at Google and Alphabet, Eric has become one of the country’s most respected public commentators and experts on the rapidly changing technology world, advising the U.S. government, state governments, universities, and a host of nonprofit organizations. He is both a well-known venture investor and a committed philanthropist, with a particular focus on the oceans and education.

I first met Eric when he was CEO of Google, and have worked with him on a number of nonprofit and philanthropic matters. I have often sought his advice on technology-related issues.

Over the years, I have interviewed him at a variety of forums—no easy task, for Eric himself is a skilled and experienced interviewer. This particular exchange for Peer to Peer took place at the Google offices in Washington, D.C., in October 2016.

In discussing what makes a leader, Eric emphasizes the importance of mastering one skill or area before branching out to other areas. I echo that advice. At the outset of a career, it is essential to become an expert in something, so that others will come to you for help and guidance. Once you establish your knowledge of and competence in one area, the skills learned and the credibility established there make it possible to expand your reach and expertise to a second or third area.

Eric has shown that very well as he took his management and engineering expertise and expanded his reach and experience into investing, public policy, and philanthropy.