Eric Emerson Schmidt was born on the 27th of April 1955 in Falls Church, Virginia. He spent part of his childhood in Italy while his father worked for the U.S. Treasury Department during the Nixon Administration.
Eric Schmidt joined Google's board of directors as chair in March 2001 before becoming CEO in August 2001. He stepped down as CEO but took the new title of executive chairman on the 20th of January 2011.
In 2006 Eric Schmidt and Wendy Schmidt established the Schmidt Family Foundation to support the sustainable use of natural resources. In October 2021 Schmidt founded the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) and has since served as its chairman.
Eric Schmidt visited North Korea along with former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson in January 2013. The trip was highly publicized and controversial due to ongoing tension between North Korea and the United States.
Michelle Ritter filed a lawsuit alleging that Eric Schmidt subjected her to sexual battery harassment and domestic violence. She accused him of using hacking and wiretapping to spy on her while she was naked during their relationship from 2020 to 2024.