Former CEO says Google employees come to office 1 day in a week ...
Remote working has once again become a hot topic as former Google CEO Eric Schmidt suggests it is one of the primary reasons behind Google falling behind in the AI race. In a recent video posted on YouTube, Schmidt addressed students at Stanford University during a lecture. Schmidt, a former Google leader who served as CEO from 2001 to 2011 and later as executive chairperson until 2015, expressed his strong concerns about remote work during the lecture.
Insights from Eric Schmidt
Schmidt highlighted Google's prioritization of work-life balance, early departures, and remote work over achieving success. He pointed out that other startups like OpenAI and Anthropic have surpassed Google in the field of AI because of their intense work ethic. Schmidt criticized the culture at Google, stating that working one day a week from the office is not conducive to competitiveness.
According to Schmidt, if individuals aspire to create successful companies after leaving the university, they should not allow employees to work remotely and only come into the office one day a week. He emphasized the importance of innovative thinking and driven leadership, citing examples like Elon Musk and Taiwan Semiconductor, which provides hands-on experience to new PhD talent.
Industry Reactions towards Remote Work
Schmidt's views are echoed by other prominent figures such as JP Morgan's CEO Jamie Dimon, who has expressed reservations about remote work and encouraged employees to return to the office. Reports suggest that Google previously required employees to work in the office three days a week in 2022 and started tracking office attendance as a metric for performance reviews in June 2023.
Despite the push for remote work, Schmidt's stance underscores the potential drawbacks of excessive flexibility in work arrangements, especially in highly competitive industries like AI.
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