Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has now left the company entirely, according to a new report from CNET.
Schmidt was Google's chief executive from 2001 to 2010, guiding the company through its public offering in 2004 and overseeing its rise to global tech superpower status. He stayed on as chairman of the board of Alphabet, Google's parent company, through 2019, and was serving as a technical adviser to the company until recently.
Schmidt brought his 19-year tenure at Google to an end in February when he stepped away from the company completely, CNET reported, citing an anonymous source.
A spokesperson for Schmidt declined to comment when reached by Business Insider. Google also declined to comment.
The news of Schmidt's departure comes as he takes on more high-profile roles in government. Schmidt currently sits on two advisory boards for the Pentagon and has invested millions in various defense startups. Last week, he was tapped by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as an advisor to the state's task force to reopen in the wake of COVID-19.
Schmidt's forays into government have previously been criticized for possible conflicts of interest. In 2016, a Defense Department whistleblower submitted a complaint alleging that Schmidt made remarks that appeared to promote Google's cloud computing services to Pentagon employees, ProPublica reported. Schmidt also drew criticism for advising a New York State education task force in 2014 while Google was simultaneously promoting classroom tools.
Schmidt still owns 4.1 million shares of Alphabet stock, according to CNBC.
