Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt slams flexible work, says ‘work from home is killing growth
Speaking at the All-In Summit earlier this month, Schmidt said remote and hybrid arrangements make it harder for young professionals to learn the ropes.
Flexible work has been hailed as the future of work. But Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, believes it may come at a cost to innovation and global competitiveness.
Speaking at the All-In Summit earlier this month, Schmidt said remote and hybrid arrangements make it harder for young professionals to learn the ropes. “Think about a 20-something who has to learn how the world works,” he said. “I learned a great deal from listening to older coworkers argue at Sun Microsystems. How do you recreate that in this new thing?”
Schmidt, who led Google for a decade before serving as executive chairman until 2020, has previously warned that a culture of flexible work could slow down tech giants in the AI race. Last year, he suggested that startups like OpenAI and Anthropic were outpacing Google precisely because of their intensity and office presence, the Business Insider reported.
He later withdrew the comments, saying he “misspoke.” Still, Schmidt doubled down this month on the need for trade-offs in tech: “If you’re going to be in tech, and you’re going to win, you’re going to have to make some trade-offs.”
Global competitiveness at stake?
Schmidt also contrasted US work culture with China’s, referencing the “996” culture, shorthand for working 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. While officially banned, he said, it still dominates the tech sector. “That’s who you’re competing against,” he warned.
Earlier, Schmidt explained why the AI wave is no bubble, but a new industrial shift. “I think it’s unlikely, based on my experience, that this is a bubble,” Schmidt had said. “It’s much more likely that you’re seeing a whole new industrial structure.”
He also addressed the challenges of AI and what he believes could be the biggest obstacle to building superintelligence. In a LinkedIn post, he wrote: “It is reasonable to predict that we are going to have specialised AI savants in every field within five years. Now imagine their capabilities and how they will change society and our day-to-day lives.”