Here is a look at the life of Eric Schmidt, former executive chairman of Alphabet, the parent company of Google.
Personal:
Birth date: April 27, 1955
Birth place: Washington, DC
Birth name: Eric Emerson Schmidt
Father: Wilson Schmidt, a professor
Mother: Ellie Schmidt
Marriage: Wendy Boyle (1980-present)
Children: Sophie; Alison
Education: Princeton University, B.S., 1976; University of California, Berkeley, M.S, 1979 and Ph.D., 1982
Other Facts:
Was a member of President Barack Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
In 2015, Schmidt received compensation worth $8.04 million from Alphabet.
Timeline:
1983-1997 – Works for Sun Microsystems, Inc.
February 1994-March 1997 – Serves as chief technology officer for Sun Microsystems, Inc.
April 7, 1997-2001 – CEO of Novell, Inc.
March 2001 – Is named chairman of Google.
August 2001-April 2011 – Serves as Google CEO. Schmidt receives a $100 million package as outgoing CEO, which marks the first stock-based compensation that he has received since he took over as Google’s CEO in 2001.
2006 – With his wife Wendy, establishes the Schmidt Family Foundation to promote sustainability through environmental preservation and education.
2007 – Inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as a fellow.
April 4, 2011-October 2015 – Executive chairman of the board of directors at Google.
January 7-10, 2013 – Schmidt travels to North Korea with former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson on what is described as a humanitarian mission.
February 4, 2014 – Google reveals that Schmidt will receive $106 million in bonuses based on the search giant’s 2013 performance.
August 10, 2015 – Google announces a corporate restructuring, forming an umbrella company called Alphabet and naming a new CEO to the core business of Google. Schmidt will become Alphabet’s executive chairman.
October 2015-present – Executive chairman of the board of directors of Alphabet.
March 2, 2016 – Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announces that Schmidt is being appointed head of a new Defense Innovation Advisory Board, in an effort by the Pentagon to better address and enhance technology within the Department of Defense.
March 2017 – Schmidt is ranked #119 on Forbes’ list of the world’s billionaires with a net worth of $11.1 billion.
December 21, 2017 – It is announced that Schmidt is stepping aside as executive chairman of Alphabet. He will remain on the board and continue to serve as a technical adviser.
