Google‘s former CEO Eric Schmidt has not been in strong favour of ‘work-from-home’ for technology companies. In a recent podcast, Schmidt, who was top boss at Google for over ten years in the early 2000s, has once again warned American tech giants on flexible remote working. This time the alarm also has ‘China warning’. Weighing again on remote work debate, Schmidt said that he believes it is hindering US tech companies’ ability to compete with China’s demanding work culture. In an interview published on the All-In podcast, Schmidt argued that the “996” work schedule — 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week — is a key competitive advantage for Chinese companies.“If you’re going to be in tech and you’re going to win, you’re going to have to make some tradeoffs,” Schmidt said. “Remember, we’re up against the Chinese; the Chinese work-life balance consists of 996.”In a lighthearted moment during the podcast interview, Schmidt joked about the value of a strong work-life balance in one specific profession. “I’m in favor of work-life balance, and that’s why people work for the government,” he quipped.
Eric Schmidt says ‘work-from-home’ dangerous for young employees
Eric Schmidt specifically highlighted the negative effects of remote work on young employees. He shared that early in his career at Sun Microsystems, he gained valuable knowledge simply by being present in the office and observing senior colleagues’ discussions and debates. He questioned how this kind of learning could be replicated in a remote environment.This isn’t the first time Schmidt has publicly criticized his former company’s approach to work policies. Last year, he was quoted as saying, “Google decided that work-life balance, and going home early, and working from home, was more important than winning.” He later walked back those comments, with a spokesperson stating that he “misspoke.”
Google’s policy on work-from-home
During the pandemic, Google adopted a more flexible remote work policy but has since scaled back, now requiring many employees to be in the office at least three days a week. As the competition in the AI sector intensifies, even more stringent measures have been reported. The New York Times reported that Google co-founder Sergey Brin has urged employees working on the AI model Gemini to work in the office “at least” every weekday, suggesting that 60 hours a week was the “sweet spot of productivity.“
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