Schmidt's comments were widely criticized and the video of the talk was removed from Stanford's YouTube channel. Despite stepping down from his role at Google in 2015, Schmidt remains a significant figure in Silicon Valley and an active investor in startups. He has not yet responded to requests for comment about the removal of the video.
Key takeaways:
- Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt suggested that successful AI startups could steal intellectual property and hire lawyers to 'clean up the mess' later.
- Schmidt made these comments during a talk at Stanford, which has since been taken offline after his remarks were picked up by the press.
- He used the example of a hypothetical TikTok competitor, suggesting that if the product became popular, the startup could then hire lawyers to deal with any legal issues.
- Schmidt remains influential in Silicon Valley and is a prolific investor in startups, despite stepping down from his role at Google in 2015.