United StatesBuilt it up
Eric Schmidt
Eric Schmidt ran Google as CEO from 2001 to 2011 and later chaired Alphabet; his fortune is mostly Alphabet stock, and since 2025 he has been CEO and controlling owner of the rocket maker Relativity Space.
- Forbes estimate
- $38B
- Forbes, 9 Oct 2026
- Forbes rank
- No. 58
- 9 Oct 2026
- Stake in Alphabet (Google)
- 1%
- Net worth, Bloomberg
- $58.9B
- Bloomberg, 11 Oct 2026
- Born
- 27 Apr 1955
- Washington, D.C., United States
- Education
- Graduate degree
- BS electrical engineering, Princeton (1976); MS (1979) and PhD (1982) in computer science, University of California, Berkeley
- Giving Pledge
- Not a signer
Where the fortune sits
Alphabet stock
Alphabet (Google)
search, advertising and cloud, founded 1998
Bloomberg: about 49 million Class A and B shares (February 2025 filing) and the equivalent of about 80 million Class C shares (2019 filing), held directly and through vehicles, family foundations and trusts
February 2025 SEC filing and 2019 filing, as read by Bloomberg, undefined Feb 2025
None; former CEO and chairman
Relativity Space
rockets, founded 2015
A controlling interest taken in March 2025; Bloomberg says he has invested nearly $800 million, but no percentage is stated
CEO and executive chairman
Other holdings
D.E. Shaw
His family office Hillspire bought a 20% stake in the hedge fund in April 2015
TomorrowVentures and Innovation Endeavors
Venture firms he finances; he is a founding partner and general partner of Innovation Endeavors
Where Eric stands among 73
Everyone on the site, grouped by their answer. Eric Schmidt is outlined.
How the fortune started
Built it up
Built it up 8
Founded it 42
Inherited and grew it 12
Inherited it 6
Through marriage 5
Industry
Technology
Technology 24
Finance 10
Several industries 9
Metals and mining 6
Retail 4
Fashion and beauty 4
Media 3
Food and drink 3
Shipping 3
Crypto 2
Oil, gas and chemicals 2
Healthcare 1
Casinos and resorts 1
Property and sports 1
Giving Pledge
Not a signer
Not a signer 61
Signed 11
Not stated 1
Education
Graduate degree
Graduate degree 24
Bachelor's degree 27
Left university without a degree 6
No university 5
Not stated 11
Role today
Runs the company
Runs the company 32
Chair, board or owner 25
Founder, no executive role 8
No role 4
Retired 4
The person
- Born
- 27 Apr 1955Washington, D.C., United States
- Citizenship
- United States
- Lives in
- Atherton, California, United States
- Education
- Graduate degreeBS electrical engineering, Princeton (1976); MS (1979) and PhD (1982) in computer science, University of California, Berkeley
- Parents
- Grew up in Blacksburg, Virginia, where his father Wilson Schmidt was a professor of economics at Virginia Tech
What they give
- Giving Pledge
- Not a signer
- Foundation
- Schmidt Family FoundationWith his wife Wendy he also founded Schmidt Ocean Institute, Schmidt Futures (2017) and Schmidt Sciences (2024)
- Lifetime giving
- $2BForbes, date not stated. Forbes: Wendy Schmidt 'has helped direct more than $2 billion in philanthropy alongside her husband Eric'; a joint figure, undated
Role and record
- Role now
- Runs the companyCEO and executive chairman of Relativity Space
- Successor
- Larry Page took back the Google CEO job from him in 2011
- Public office
- Member, President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2009-2017
- Chairman, Defense Innovation Board (US Department of Defense), 2016-2020
- Chairman, US National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, three years, including 2020
- Member, NASA National Space Council User Advisory Group, two years, including 2020
- Legal record
- None found
