The Chairman of Alphabet has taken up a role outside of Silicon Valley – but why?
Eric Schmidt has agreed to head up a new advisory team at the US Department of Defense.
The former Google CEO will be at the helm of the new Defense Innovation Advisory Board to help improve Pentagon technology.
Schmidt was appointed to the role by Secretary of Defense Ashton Carton earlier this week, and is tasked with finding “quick solutions” for technology conundrums at the centre.
However, as noted by CNN, Schmidt and his team won’t have access to any classified military information.
The Pentagon, HQ of US Department of Defense, in Virginia
The board will comprise 12 members, all of whom are said to have led “large private companies and public organisations”.
At the time of the appointment, Carter described Schmidt as having a “unique perspective on the latest practices in harnessing and encouraging innovation”.
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Schmidt joined Google’s board of directors as chairman in March 2001, and became CEO in August that same year.
He held the position of CEO right up until 2011, and is currently the executive chairman of Alphabet Inc, Google’s new parent company.
According to Forbes, Schmidt is the 138th richest person in the world, and has an estimated wealth of $11 billion.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.