{"entity":{"id":9717,"slug":"eric-schmidt","name":"Eric Schmidt","type":"person","role":"Former Google CEO; Schmidt Futures co-founder; former Defence Innovation Board chair; Pentagon AI adviser","description":"Former CEO of Google, co-founder of Schmidt Futures, former chair of the Defence Innovation Board, and key adviser to the Pentagon on AI and technology policy. Represents the 'old guard' of tech-government integration with deep ties to the defence establishment that predate Palantir's rise. His network spans Google, the Defence Department, and the broader national security establishment.","imageUrl":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/Eric_Schmidt_at_the_37th_G8_Summit_in_Deauville_037_%28cropped%29.jpg/330px-Eric_Schmidt_at_the_37th_G8_Summit_in_Deauville_037_%28cropped%29.jpg","createdAt":"2026-04-16T04:41:05.312Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-19T09:27:09.617Z"},"electedOffice":null,"significance":{"score":16,"components":{"totalFindings":8,"connectionDegree":6,"recentFindings90d":0,"activeResearchJobs":0,"goblinAttributions":2,"recentSyntheses90d":0,"moneyFlowChainsTotal":0,"closedLoopMemberships":0,"moneyFlowHopsRecent90d":0},"computedAt":"2026-10-15T01:32:54.708Z"},"facts":[{"id":50134,"text":"Eric Schmidt's advisory relationships with Microsoft and OpenAI leadership are not captured in any single public registry accessible via standard conflict-of-interest databases, despite his formal roles as chair of NSCAI and Pentagon AI advisor.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2025-06-15","source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":50148,"text":"Eric Schmidt's personal investment portfolio in defence and AI firms is not listed in any single publicly searchable database; existing ethics filings (OGE 278e, DF-IPA) are not systematically published or aggregated for former DIB or NSCAI officials.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2024-06-15","source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":50136,"text":"Schmidt Futures, as a 501(c)(3) organization, is not required to publicly disclose the full list of policy 'grantees' or the specific nature of advisory relationships maintained by its co-founder, creating a transparency gap distinct from corporate SEC filings.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2024-06-15","source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":50185,"text":"Schmidt's board observer role at OpenAI ended in early 2023, shortly after his personal investment in Anthropic (OpenAI competitor) was disclosed in SEC filings.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2023-06-15","source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":50117,"text":"Eric Schmidt was an investor in the French AI startup Mistral AI as of its June 2023 Series A round, confirmed by a French regulatory filing listing him as a shareholder.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2023-06-15","source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":50149,"text":"Schmidt's family office, Hillspire LLC, manages his wealth and can hold defence/AI equity without triggering public disclosure requirements for advisory roles, because Hillspire is not a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2023-06-15","source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":50089,"text":"Schmidt Futures made a $5.2M grant to Stanford HAI in 2021-2022 that funded research later incorporated into the NSCAI final report's recommendations on AI assurance and testing standards.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2022-06-15","source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":50082,"text":"Schmidt Futures' grant-making in AI national security research (e.g., the 'AI and National Security' workshop series co-funded with Georgetown CSET) has no systematic overlap with the portfolio companies of Schmidt's personal investment vehicles, based on publicly available 990-PF filings.","confidence":"inferential","dateOccurred":"2022-06-15","source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":50088,"text":"Eric Schmidt's AI defence startup Rebellion Defense received at least $150M in Series B and C funding (2021-2022) while Schmidt still served as NSCAI chair emeritus and Pentagon adviser.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2022-06-15","source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":50116,"text":"Eric Schmidt's family office, Hillspire LLC, filed quarterly 13F forms with the SEC from 2020-2024, but those filings disclose only publicly traded US equities — not private company holdings in defence startups like Anduril or Shield AI.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2020-2024","source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":50120,"text":"Schmidt Futures has made at least $2.3 million in grants to CNAS and CSIS specifically for AI policy research that includes recommendations on defense AI procurement, creating an indirect channel for Schmidt to influence Microsoft and OpenAI's market position.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2019–2023","source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":50184,"text":"Schmidt's personal financial disclosure to the Defense Innovation Board in 2019 revealed his family office Hillspire held Microsoft shares worth $5-25 million.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2019-06-15","source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":50119,"text":"Eric Schmidt, through his role on the Defense Innovation Board (2016–2020) and as chair of NSCAI (2018–2021), participated in at least 15 meetings with Microsoft executives on AI and cloud defense procurement, based on available NSCAI and DIB documentation, though the full meeting records are not publicly released.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2016–2021","source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":50121,"text":"No single FOIA request has been filed to systematically obtain all Defense Innovation Board records related to Eric Schmidt's interactions with Microsoft and OpenAI representatives, meaning the full documentary record exists but is not in the public domain.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":null,"source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":20082,"text":"Schmidt Futures' grant-making in AI policy and national security research is not aggregated in a single searchable database.","confidence":"inferential","dateOccurred":null,"source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":20084,"text":"The extent to which Schmidt's policy recommendations have been adopted by successive administrations is not systematically analysed.","confidence":"inferential","dateOccurred":null,"source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":20085,"text":"Eric Schmidt served as chairman of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) from 2018 to 2021, shaping federal AI policy and defence procurement recommendations.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":null,"source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":20086,"text":"Schmidt served as CEO of Google from 2001 to 2011, then as executive chairman until 2015, and remained on the Alphabet board until 2019.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":null,"source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":20080,"text":"The full scope of Schmidt's personal investments in defence and AI companies is not publicly disclosed.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":null,"source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":20081,"text":"The exact nature of Schmidt's advisory role to the Pentagon and intelligence community post-Defence Innovation Board is opaque.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":null,"source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}},{"id":20083,"text":"Schmidt's relationship with Microsoft and OpenAI leadership is not systematically documented.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":null,"source":{"title":"Opposing Network Investigation Brief — Investigation Targets and Research Leads","url":"https://goblinhouse.net/investigation-brief/opposing-network-2026","publication":"Goblin House Internal Analysis"}}],"connections":[{"id":12649,"relationshipType":"investor","description":"No public listing exists of Schmidt's personal equity holdings in AI companies that became Microsoft acquisition targets or strategic partners like Inflection AI.","confidence":"inferential","firstDocumented":"2022","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":4091,"name":"Inflection AI","slug":"inflection-ai","type":"company"}},{"id":12648,"relationshipType":"investor","description":"Hillspire LLC 13F filings do not disclose private company holdings in defence startups like Anduril, but Schmidt's investment portfolio in defence AI firms is not publicly searchable.","confidence":"inferential","firstDocumented":"2020","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":26,"name":"Anduril Industries","slug":"anduril-industries","type":"company"}},{"id":12616,"relationshipType":"peer_network","description":"Listed as known entity, no direct documented fact but association through AI community and Democratic donor networks.","confidence":"inferential","firstDocumented":"2020","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":726,"name":"Reid Hoffman","slug":"reid-hoffman","type":"person"}},{"id":10273,"relationshipType":"advisory relationship","description":"Schmidt's relationship with OpenAI leadership is not systematically documented. His defence AI policy work may influence OpenAI's government contracting strategy.","confidence":"inferential","firstDocumented":null,"lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":9144,"name":"OpenAI","slug":"openai","type":"company"}},{"id":10272,"relationshipType":"advisory relationship","description":"Schmidt's relationship with Microsoft leadership and his influence on defence AI procurement policy (via the Defence Innovation Board and NSCAI) potentially affects Microsoft's government contract positioning.","confidence":"inferential","firstDocumented":null,"lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":9146,"name":"Microsoft","slug":"microsoft","type":"company"}},{"id":12646,"relationshipType":"Disclosure Recipient","description":"Financial holdings partially disclosed to OGE during 2016-2017 Defense Innovation Board service, but disclosures never systematically digitized or made publicly searchable.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2016","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":9719,"name":"Office of Government Ethics","slug":"office-of-government-ethics","type":"government_agency"}},{"id":12645,"relationshipType":"donor","description":"Schmidt Futures made a $5.2M grant to Stanford HAI in 2021-2022 that funded research later incorporated into NSCAI final report's recommendations on AI assurance and testing standards.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2021","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":4097,"name":"Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI","slug":"stanford-institute-for-human-centered-ai","type":"institution"}},{"id":12644,"relationshipType":"investor","description":"Personal investments in secretive defence AI company Shield AI, conducted through LLCs registered in Nevada.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2018","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":132,"name":"Shield AI","slug":"shield-ai","type":"company"}},{"id":12643,"relationshipType":"Member","description":"Served on Defense Innovation Board from October 2016 through at least January 2021.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2016","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":412,"name":"Defense Innovation Board","slug":"defense-innovation-board","type":"government_agency"}},{"id":12642,"relationshipType":"Advisor","description":"Advisory role to Pentagon and intelligence community post-Defence Innovation Board is opaque; served on Defense Innovation Board from October 2016 through at least January 2021, overlapping JEDI cloud contract award.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2016","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":94,"name":"US Department of Defense (Pentagon)","slug":"us-department-of-defense-pentagon","type":"institution"}},{"id":12641,"relationshipType":"Former Executive","description":"Served as CEO of Google from 2001-2011, then as executive chairman until 2015.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2001","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":31231,"name":"Google","slug":"google","type":"company"}},{"id":12640,"relationshipType":"Former Executive","description":"Served as CEO of Google from 2001-2011, executive chairman until 2015, and remained on Alphabet board until 2019.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2001","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":9876,"name":"Alphabet","slug":"alphabet","type":"company"}},{"id":10271,"relationshipType":"founder","description":"Schmidt co-founded Schmidt Futures with Wendy Schmidt. The organisation directs philanthropic funding into AI policy and national security research.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":null,"lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":9718,"name":"Schmidt Futures","slug":"schmidt-futures","type":"institution"}},{"id":16393,"relationshipType":"investor","description":"Eric Schmidt, through Schmidt Futures, has invested in Anthropic.","confidence":"secondary","firstDocumented":"2023","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":33021,"name":"Anthropic","slug":"anthropic","type":"company"}},{"id":12647,"relationshipType":"donor","description":"Schmidt Futures made at least $2.3 million in grants to CNAS for AI policy research including recommendations on defense AI procurement, creating indirect channel to influence Microsoft and OpenAI's market position.","confidence":"secondary","firstDocumented":"2018","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":9479,"name":"Center for a New American Security (CNAS)","slug":"center-for-a-new-american-security-cnas","type":"institution"}}],"contradictions":[],"permalink":"https://www.goblinhouse.net/entity/eric-schmidt","timelineUrl":"https://www.goblinhouse.net/entity/eric-schmidt/timeline"}