Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is warning that America’s tech industry risks falling behind China if it doesn’t take work more seriously.
Speaking at the All-In Summit earlier this month, Schmidt criticized remote work, saying it holds back younger employees who need to learn on the job.
“I am not in favor of, essentially, working at home,” he said. “Think about a 20-something who has to learn how the world works. How do you recreate that in this new thing?”
Schmidt recalled how, in his early career at Sun Microsystems, he learned by listening to colleagues with more experience debate in person.
He argued that those kinds of lessons are hard to replace in a remote environment.
Trade-Offs in Tech
Schmidt acknowledged the value of balance in some fields but insisted that competing in technology is different.
“I am in favor of work-life balance, and that’s why people work for the government,” he said, before adding, “If you’re going to be in tech, and you’re going to win, you’re going to have to make some trade-offs.”
The longtime Google executive, who led the company for a decade and later served as executive chairman, framed the issue as part of a larger global competition.
“We’re up against the Chinese,” Schmidt said.
He pointed to China’s “996” work culture—9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week.
“The Chinese have clarified that this is illegal. However, they all do it. That’s who you’re competing against.”
Past Comments on Google
Schmidt has previously linked flexible work to falling behind in artificial intelligence.
At a 2023 Stanford talk, he said, “Google decided that work-life balance, and going home early, and working from home, was more important than winning.”
As reported by Business Insider, the video was later made private after it went viral.
Schmidt later withdrew the remarks. A spokesperson told the outlet, “Eric misspoke about Google and their work hours and regrets his error.”
Wider Debate
Other tech leaders have also pushed back against remote work in government roles.
After President Donald Trump ordered federal employees back to the office earlier this year, Elon Musk called it “about fairness,” adding, “Pretending to work while taking money from taxpayers is no longer acceptable.”
Unions have criticized such comments, saying they dismiss the value of public service.
But Schmidt’s message was clear: in tech, especially against determined global competitors, success will come only with hard choices about how, and how much, Americans work.