ExGoogle Chief Built 'oligarchstyle Empire' To Influence AI, Biden White House And Public Policy: Report
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Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has built a vast network of strategic investments and political connections that have allowed the tech billionaire to wield significant influence over artificial intelligence and public policy in Washington, DC, according to an explosive new report.
The Bull Moose Project, a nonprofit advocacy group dedicated to developing "the next generation of America-first leaders and policymakers," spent months analyzing financial records, tax records, company reports and other information available to Schmidt's audience. On Thursday, the group released a report outlining its findings, first available on Fox News Digital.
"Americans do not want to believe that they live in a democratic society under 'rule by the few' rather than 'rule by the majority,' but this sobering report is a warning that our elected officials cannot ignore," said President Aiden Buzzetti. The Bull Moose Project. What we have gathered confirms the important role that great technology leaders play in public life. All elements of this database and report are based on reliable and verifiable sources, and we plan to update them regularly so that the public can access the Schmidt report even if the government refuses to release it. Get ready to blow your mind.
According to the report, Schmidt "built an oligarchy-style empire aimed at influencing public policy."
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Schmidt was CEO of Google from 2001 to 2011 and then president of the tech giant until 2015. He then served as CEO of Alphabet, Google's parent company, until 2018 and as a technical advisor until 2020 .
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During Schmidt's tenure at Google, the company significantly expanded its lobbying activities, opening offices in state capitals and enlisting its first in-house federal lobbyist.
"In the federal lobby, Google has gone from nothing in its first decade to one of the largest lobbying forces of its peers in the United States," said Dave Levinthal, a spokesman for the Center for Responsive Politics. Time. 2010. "Now I'm One of the Greats."
Schmidt never registered as a lobbyist. According to the report, however, "through the strong connections he had painstakingly developed through his membership in several influential government commissions and councils, he was able to change government policy in favor of his investments."
Schmidt's appointments included serving as chairman of the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Council from 2016 to 2020 and also serving as chairman of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI), both of which influence US policy regarding AI. and other areas of security and technology. . Schmidt served on government committees during the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations.
At an NSCAI event in 2021, Schmidt said committee staff "had an interesting idea that not only did we have to write what we thought we were doing, but we had a hundred pages of legislation to pass." says Schmidt, "it never occurred to me, but it really worked."
Schmidt said his team also had data in classified National Security Act annexes.
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"We don't talk much about our undercover work," Schmidt said. "But there are similar teams that have worked on secret things that have gone through secret processes that have had the same impact."
The former Google boss also made it clear that pressure on the White House was the key to success in Washington.
“If there's one thing I've learned from my years of working with government, it's that government is not run like a technology company. It's from top to bottom," he said. "Like it or not, you have to start from the top. You have to choose the right words, otherwise they will say it or write it to them and make it happen. On the right? So it really, really works.”
A report from Bull Moose says that Schmidt and Innovation Endeavors, one of the venture capital firms he founded, made dozens of investments in artificial intelligence companies during NSCAI's tenure, citing data from Crunchbase.
Meanwhile, Innovation Endeavors has invested in rocket launch startup Astra, which was selected by the US Air Force's AFWERX program in October 2020 to continue development of its Rocket 5.0 program. Schmidt, a vocal supporter of the creation of AFWERX in 2018, continued to promote the program through public speaking in Congress and after his appointment as Chairman of the Defense Innovation Council.
Schmidt is also an investor in Radical Ventures, a venture fund specializing in investments in artificial intelligence and quantum computing startups. Radical Ventures has invested in startup Covariant, which was hailed in the final report published by NSCAI under Schmidt's leadership as one of the robotics companies with the potential to "conquer the market for software platforms that will power the next wave of industrialization."
© REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration This May 4, 2023 illustration shows the ChatGPT logo and the words Artificial Intelligence AI. Reuters/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationVIRGINIA ACT ALLOWS THE CASE OF GOOGLE CONTROL
There is no evidence that Schmidt did anything illegal as committee chairman or violated ethics rules. Public records also show that he more than meets all registration and disclosure requirements. However, government ethics advisers say some of Schmidt's investments while he led NSCAI created conflicts of interest.
"It's a real conflict of interest," Walter Schaub, senior ethicist at the Project on Government Oversight and former director of the US Office of Government Ethics, told CNBC last year. "It's technically legal for a lot of reasons, but it's wrong."
Schmidt's influence in the field of artificial intelligence continued with the dissolution of NSCAI after his term ended. For example, his charity Schmidt Futures appears to be the focus of an effort to recruit Craig Martell, who is currently director of digital technology and artificial intelligence at the Defense Department.
At last year's AI Tech Show, Martell described Schmidt Futures as a bounty hunter for his current position.
"One thing I do for Schmidt Futures is help them figure out what kind of person they need for the job," Martell says. “We talked about what the job would be like, and about two weeks later I got an email from the assistant secretary of defense asking me to apply. So I'm pretty sure everything was arranged in a confidential conversation."
Schmidt Futures never hired or paid Martell, who denied her role in the Pentagon hiring process.
© AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pentagon Files, view from Air Force One, March 2, 2022 AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, FilesPELOSI HELPED GOOGLE STOCK SELL BEFORE ANTITRUST SUE: 'CHEAP TIMES'
According to a study by the Bull Moose Project, Schmidt played key roles in at least four other venture capital firms along with Innovation Endeavors. One such company is First Spark Ventures, which has various biotech and biomedical investments in its portfolio.
In January, Schmidt was appointed to the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, a decision that drew backlash given the billionaire's ties to biotech.
"It's a potential horror show," Schaub said of the new commission earlier this year, expressing concern that commissioners could influence federal policies that could ultimately benefit them financially. Congress created this commission without adequate safeguards against conflicts of interest.
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There is no indication that Schmidt, who was a billionaire for several years, made any money personally from his work for the government. According to CNBC, a person familiar with Schmidt's mindset said that Schmidt would donate 100% of the "net profits" from his investment in First Spark to charity.
In addition to his reports, the Bull Moose Project also created a 400+ dot interactive map depicting Schmidt's relationships between business, government, academia and others.
The map shows at least 50 former senior government officials close to Schmidt, raising questions about what many observers call a "revolving door" of D.C. insiders who travel professionally between the federal government and groups interest lobbyists. , advisors and strategists capable of influencing public policies.
A spokesman for Schmidt declined to comment on the story. However, a source close to him gave a brief statement on the relationship in direct reference to the Bull Moose project: "The title fits because their relationship is bullish---."
Schmidt "made himself a prominent Washington insider and strengthened his relationships with current and former government officials more effectively than anyone in recent memory," the report said.
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Schmitt also maintains close contact with those still in power. Politico reported last year that Schmidt's "fingerprints are everywhere" in President Biden's White House Office of Science and Technology (OSTP), noting that more than a dozen office officials have been linked to the technology giant. Among them is Biden's former science adviser, Eric Lander.
The report added that Schmidt Futures indirectly paid salaries to several Office of Science employees over a period of time, raising "significant" ethical issues within the office, given Schmidt's financial interests in areas that overlap with OSTP's duties. of. Schmidt Futures later released a statement saying OSTP was "chronically underfunded" and had a long history of raising "philanthropic funds" with other institutions through a "public-private partnership."
According to the Bull Moose Project, Schmidt's extensive network had numerous conflicts of interest.
"Large donations in exchange for political office, writing selfish policies enshrined in law, promoting his business interests through government filings, obtaining federal contracts to improve his relationships... Schmidt develops a political deck, Buzzetti told him. . "Many of us have heard fragmented information about the Schmidt government's advisory and investment function, but putting all the pieces of the puzzle together paints an undeniable picture of conflicts of interest and corruption."
