Haute 100 Update San Francisco: Eric Schmidt
Our Haute 100 list details the accomplishments of the most influential people in each of our markets—Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. These people continue to make moves, so rather than waiting for the next Haute 100 issue to come out, we thought we’d provide you with regular updates on those Haute 100 members who are making headlines. It’s game on for Google and CEO Eric Schmidt with a speculated social networking service expected to come soon.
Eric Schmidt Category: BillionairesCompany: Google
Industry: Technology
What Made Him Haute: Eric Schmidt was brought on board at Google in 2001, and he took the company public in 2004. The Google tri-chief oversees an agenda that continues to wield influence in the tech industry and rake in the dough. It’s moved into new markets (and into more direct competition with Microsoft) with the launch of a mobile phone operating system and an open source web browser. Schmidt’s also been busy integrating acquisitions into Google, such as YouTube. He currently sits on the board of trustees for Carnegie Mellon University and Princeton University, and is a member of President Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
What Makes Him Haute Now: The most recent Google buzz has Eric Schmidt talking games. Google’s newest social strategy, rumored to called “Google Me,” comes after Google hired Mark DeLoura, whose resume includes top names in the gaming industry like Sony and Nintendo, in April, and Google’s acquisition of Jambool last week, both of which would conveniently aide a transition into gaming. Google is set to bring games to many of its products and release major products starting this fall. Rather than compete with Facebook, Schmidt says “Google Me” intends to introduce social play to make existing products more popular.