Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who has since moved on to greener and perhaps more dangerous climes, recently told an audience of Stanford students, “Google has decided that work-life balance, going home early and working from home are more important than winning.” Apparently, that hot statement wasn’t intended for the masses, because Stanford — which posted the video on YouTube this week — has made the video of the event private today.
It wouldn’t be surprising if this was done at the talent’s behest. “I let slip about Google and their work hours,” Schmidt said in an email to TechCrunch. “I regret my mistake.”
Several news publications have already made headlines about the video, and 1.4 million people have seen a clip in which Schmidt sharply criticizes Google’s remote work practices on X.
At another point in the video, Schmidt asks the audience to keep his statements confidential, then acts somewhat surprised when his interviewer points out the cameras in the room. At another point, he tells the audience that AI startups steal intellectual property and later, when they’ve developed a successful product, can hire clever lawyers to clean it up. Presumably, the former Google CEO didn’t know the entire interview would be posted online.
