Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt worked 60-hour weeks: ‘I used to tell people my job is to sit in meetings 12 hours a day’—he says AI will kill that burden

Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, spent nearly a decade at the helm of the tech giant, steering it from its early days as a public company to one of the world's most valuable businesses. However, much of Schmidt's time was spent in meetings and coordinating people to resolve issues across the organization. During his tenure, Schmidt estimated working 63-hour weeks, with meetings often lasting up to 12 hours a day.

Now, Schmidt envisions a future where AI can handle these coordination tasks, eliminating the need for "glue people" who keep businesses running behind the scenes. Large companies often have thousands of unnecessary workers due to these inefficiencies, according to Schmidt. He expects that AI will lead to workforce reductions, particularly in mid-sized businesses with around 10,000 employees, where "a couple of thousand" positions may become redundant.

Schmidt's net worth is estimated at $66 billion, and he anticipates benefiting significantly from the AI boom. As a 1% shareholder in Anthropic, a potential public listing could net him a $20 billion windfall. However, Schmidt believes that while AI may eliminate many existing jobs, it also creates opportunities for workers who can adapt to the technology and contribute to its development.

He encourages young people, like graduates at the University of Arizona, to embrace AI and become part of building it rather than resisting its impact on the workforce.