Eric Schmidt has an interesting job at Google. His official position is co-CEO with founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, but his job title should be CLR, or Chief Lightning Rod, because he is often entrusted with announcing unpopular policies or making comments that bring a lot of media attention, more than Messrs. Page and Brin would welcome.
Mr. Schmidt’s lightening rod escapades extend to his off-the-cuff remarks. He’s not known for his careful consideration of what he is about to say in public forums, probably because of his age, which confers a quality of stubbornness and a lack of tact often seen in older men.
One of Mr. Schmidt’s less considered remarks was when he said children should change their names when they become adults, to protect them from online content that might surface and reveal youthful indiscretions.
He received a lot of criticism for this, but it turns out it was all a joke! That’s what he told Stephen Colbert on the “The Colbert Report.” Danny Goodwin has more here: Google’s Schmidt to Colbert: Comment About Kids Changing Their Identity ‘Was a Joke’ @SEWatch
I have a better idea. Everybody should change their name to the same name and use nicknames between themselves. When everyone is called I.M. Spartacus we won’t have to worry about any unwelcome Google revelations.
Tom Foremski is the Editor and Founder of the popular and top-ranked news site Silicon Valley Watcher, reporting on business and culture of innovation. He is a former journalist at the Financial Times and in 2004, became the first journalist from a leading newspaper to resign and become a full-time journalist blogger.
Tom has been reporting on Silicon Valley and the US tech industry since 1984 and has been named as one of the top 50 (#28) most influential bloggers in Silicon Valley. His current focus is on the convergence of media and technology — the making of a new era for Silicon Valley. He also writes a column at ZDNET.
