Eric Schmidt

Eric Schmidt, KBE, Chair and CEO of Relativity Space, is best known for guiding Google's transformation from a startup into one of the world's most influential companies during his tenure as CEO and Chairman from 2001 to 2011. Under his leadership, alongside Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the company dramatically scaled its infrastructure and diversified its products, while maintaining a strong culture of innovation. Eric founded the Special Competitive Studies Project in 2021, a non-profit initiative focused on strengthening America’s long-term AI and technological competitiveness in national security, the economy, and society. Most recently in 2024, Eric and his wife Wendy co-founded Schmidt Sciences, a nonprofit organization working to advance science and technology that deepens human understanding of the natural world and develops solutions to global issues. He has written several acclaimed books, including his latest New York Times bestseller titled Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit (2024), co-written with the late Dr. Henry Kissinger and Craig Mundie, and is among the most prominent voices on technology, AI, business, and philanthropy.