Ex-Google CEO blames 'work from home' for company losing in AI race. Netizens school him
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has blamed 'work from home' as the reason for the company's lagging performance in the artificial intelligence (AI) race.Schmidt said the search engine giant had let go of its lead in the field after it started prioritising work-life balance and remote working.
Schmidt led Google as the CEO between 2001 and 2011 and later as executive chairperson until 2015. He has repeatedly raised concerns over the remote work culture prevalent in the industry after the COVID-19 pandemic.
"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 in a video going viral on social media.
"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.
Watch |Google blames AI for its carbon emissions | WION Tech It Out
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
'Always the employees fault'
However,Schmidt's statement did not go down well with the netizens who slammed him for being myopic in his worldview, especially when Google was facing other issues.
One of the users said: "They are losing because they embraced bureaucracy and politics a long time ago. They actively hate half their customers and product is not the first thing on their minds."
"But nothing about how Google stopped innovating and is now being run by MBA’s who can’t innovate out of a paper bag," another commented, while a third added: "Amazing how the fault is always the employees no, never the VPs, never the guys that are on the top of the pyramid."
While Schmidt had a go at his former company, reports state that Google mandates its employees to come to the office three days in a five-day workweek. Additionally, the company has started closely monitoring office attendance to give annual appraisals.
(With inputs from agencies)