Eric Schmidt is a technologist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Joining the founders of Google in 2001, he helped grow the company from a Silicon Valley startup to a global leader in technology, first as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, and later as Executive Chairman and Technical Advisor. In 2021, he founded the Special Competitive Studies Project, a non-profit initiative to strengthen America's long-term competitiveness in AI and technology. Most recently, he 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.