Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt Retracts Comments on Remote Work's Impact on AI Development

Former Google CEO "regrets" these 'work from home' comments made on the company - Times of India

Eric Schmidt, former CEO and executive chairman at Google, made headlines after he told students at Stanford University that Google is losing the artificial intelligence (AI) race and that is because of its remote-work policies. He has now expressed regret over his remarks. "I misspoke about Google and their work hours. I regret my error," Schmidt said in an email to The Wall Street Journal.In response to a question about Google competing with OpenAI, Schmitt blamed 'work from home' as the reason for the tech giant "falling behind" in Al race. The video in which Schmidt criticised Google is not available for people and Schmidt reportedly said that he asked for the video to be taken down. What Schmidt told students at Stanford While talking to students, Schmidt criticised Google's approach saying that the company's decision of maintaining work-life balance has allowed startups like OpenAI and Anthropic to gain a significant edge in AI development. "Google decided that work-life balance and going home early and working from home was more important than winning. And the reason the startups work is because the people work like hell," Schmidt said. Schmidt, who was the CEO of Google from 2001 to 2011, emphasised that a high-pressure environment is necessary for rapid innovation in the tech industry and suggested that remote work has diluted this intensity. "I'm sorry to be so blunt, but the fact of the matter is, if you all leave the university and go found a company, you're not going to let people work from home and only come in one day a week if you want to compete against the other startups," Schmidt added. Schmidt's throws weight behind work-from-office policy When Covid-19 was at its peak, the tech majors started work-from-home policy to keep the businesses running. As the world started to open up, companies started asking workers, who went back to their homes, to relocate and start coming to the office. Soon the option of work-from-office became a mandate and tech companies, including Google, took strict measures to bring its employees back to physical offices. The search giant now requires employees to work from the office at least three days a week. It is tracking employees' attendance and has made this as part of performance reviews. The TOI Tech Desk is a dedicated team of journalists committed to delivering the latest and most relevant news from the world of technology to readers of The Times of India. TOI Tech Desk's news coverage spans a wide spectrum across gadget launches, gadget reviews, trends, in-depth analysis, exclusive reports and breaking stories that impact technology and the digital universe. Be it how-tos or the latest happenings in AI, cybersecurity, personal gadgets, platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and more; TOI Tech Desk brings the news with accuracy and authenticity.

Google's ex-CEO takes back claim that remote work made Google lag behind in the AI race: What other CEOs said before

Eric Schmidt, the ex-CEO of Google has now taken back his claim that Google is losing the AI race because of its its remote-work policy, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Schmidt, who was Google's CEO from 2001 to 2011, said at an April lecture at Stanford University that Google was putting itself in a disadvantageous position by focusing on work-life balance. Also Read: Yes Bank appoints veteran banker Sumit Bali to head its retail business "Google decided that work-life balance and going home early and working from home was more important than winning," he said. "And the reason the startups work is because the people work like hell." Schmidt added that startups are "not going to let people work from home and only come in one day a week if you want to compete against the other startups." Also Read: Neeraj Chopra's brand endorsement portfolio to grow 50% this year: Report However, he has taken back his claims, telling that he "misspoke about Google and their work hours," in an email to The Wall Street Journal, adding, "I regret my error." Eric Schmidt's initial stance is something many tech CEOs have promoted before. For example, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that he believed one of the tech industry's "worst mistakes" was to allow employees to go "full remote forever," to Fortune Magazine in 2023, adding that he felt technology has not gotten good enough to allow full remote work forever. However, OpenAI still has a mix of hybrid and remote policies. Google has a similar policy which requires most workers to come to office at least three days a week, according to a company blogpost. Also Read: Meta is asked a pointed question - why are there ads for drugs on FB, Instagram? Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that remote work is "morally wrong" in a 2023 CNBC interview. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that "people who work from home are not efficient and engineers who come to the office get more work done." Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, said that he believes some employees have to be in office. "Our engineers are extremely productive at home," he said. "We have lots of people who are extremely productive at home. But there also has to be salespeople who are productive in the office."

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt blames remote work for falling behind against OpenAI, apologises

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt apologised for the comments he made during a meet at Stanford, saying that Google had lagged behind in AI because of the company's remote work policy. The recording of his lecture which had been posted by the University's official YouTube channel was taken down on August 15 after garnering over 40, 000 views in a day. "Google decided that work-life balance and going home early and working from home was more important than winning," Schmidt said. "I'm sorry to be so blunt [...] But the fact of the matter is, if you all leave the university and go found a company, you're not gonna let people work from home and only come in one day a week if you want to compete against the other startups," he said. He added that AI startups like OpenAI and Anthropic had raced ahead because the people there "work like hell." Schmidt later told The Wall Street Journal that he had misspoken and regretted his statements. (For top technology news of the day, subscribe to our tech newsletter Today's Cache) The Verge also reported that he also discussed the copyright issues plaguing the AI business saying companies were typically more prone to act illegally and then "clean up the mess." Breaking up Google an option being considered by U.S.: Report Proposing TikTok as an example, Schmidt said that if the app were banned, the students could simply ask their LLMs to make a copy of the app, steal its users and music and produce a new app in under a minute and release it. He went on to add that while he wasn't advocating for theft, business owners could easily hire lawyers later if the app went viral and if it didn't then it wouldn't matter anyway. Schmidt was the chairman and CEO at the tech giant till 2015. He has invested in AI startups like Mistral AI while remaining an influential persona in Silicon Valley. Read Comments

Google workers union retaliates to former CEO's 'work from home' comments, says these 5 factors slow Google employees every day - Times of India

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt sparked controversy by attributing Google's loss in the AI race to the company's remote work policies. While Schmidt later apologised for his comments, the discussion around remote work's influence on productivity and company culture continued with Alphabet Workers Union weighing in on the matter. The union presented counterarguments to Schmidt's claims, outlining 5 specific challenges employees face in the company that they say hinder productivity and innovation. "Flexible work arrangements don't slow down our work," the union said in a post on X. "Understaffing, shifting priorities, constant layoffs, stagnant wages and lack of follow-through from management on projects - these factors slow Google workers down every day," the union added. What Eric Schmidt said on Google's work from home culture During a recent lecture at Stanford University, Schmidt argued that a focus on work-life balance and remote work has hindered Google's ability to compete with more aggressive startups like OpenAI. "Google decided that work-life balance and going home early and working from home was more important than winning. And the reason the startups work is because the people work like hell," Schmidt said. Additionally, he emphasised the need for a high-pressure, in-office work environment to foster rapid innovation. "I'm sorry to be so blunt, but the fact of the matter is, if you all leave the university and go found a company, you're not going to let people work from home and only come in one day a week if you want to compete against the other startups," Schmidt added. However, Schmidt later walked back his statements, expressing regret for his remarks and acknowledging that he misspoke. "I misspoke about Google and their work hours. I regret my error," Schmidt said in an email to The Wall Street Journal. Reportedly, Schmidt also said that he asked for the video to be taken down. Google's work from home policy Google is among the tech giants that have called employees back to the office. The search giant implemented a mandatory three-day in-office policy and has been closely monitoring employee attendance as part of its performance evaluation process. The TOI Tech Desk is a dedicated team of journalists committed to delivering the latest and most relevant news from the world of technology to readers of The Times of India. TOI Tech Desk's news coverage spans a wide spectrum across gadget launches, gadget reviews, trends, in-depth analysis, exclusive reports and breaking stories that impact technology and the digital universe. Be it how-tos or the latest happenings in AI, cybersecurity, personal gadgets, platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and more; TOI Tech Desk brings the news with accuracy and authenticity.