Google's Schmidt says he's a 'very proud former board member' of Apple [u]

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
In a new interview, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt complimented the job Steve Jobs did as Apple's chief executive, and said he considers himself a "very proud" former member of Apple's board of directors [updated].



Schmidt's comments came during a question-and-answer session with Salesforce.com Chief Executive Marc Benioff. Schmidt stepped down from the Apple board in 2009, as Google continued to encroach on Apple's businesses with Android and Chrome OS.



Updated: The original Bloomberg story contained a misquote and was later updated to fix the error. AppleInsider has updated its story accordingly.



"I was on the board until I couldn't stay on the board anymore," Schmidt reportedly said.



Once close partners, Apple and Google have become fierce rivals since devices running the Google Android mobile operating system began competing with Apple's iPhone.



"We did not enter the search business; they entered the phone business," Jobs allegedly said of Google during a company meeting in 2010. "Make no mistake, Google wants to kill the iPhone. We won't let them."



The Google chairman of Google also offered praise about Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who recently resigned as CEO.







"It's certainly the best performance of a CEO in 50 years," Schmidt reportedly said. "We've all benefited from the tremendous innovation at Apple. And I say this as a very proud former board member at Apple."



Earlier this year, Schmidt was replaced as Google CEO by Larry Page, one of the founders of the search giant. Schmidt now serves as the company's executive chairman, handling deals, partnerships, customers, business relationships, and government outreach.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 97
    "I was on the board until I couldn't stand the board anymore."

    "We've all benefited from the tremendous innovation at Apple. And I say this as a very proud former board member at Apple."



    No kidding! What a jerk.
  • Reply 2 of 97
    Clearly, what he couldn't stand was being surrounded by so many great ideas and yet not be able to claim them as his own. If he didn't look like such a weasel, you could call him a douche but I think douche is too cool of a term when used to describe this dork.
  • Reply 3 of 97
    "I was on the board until.... I'd stolen all the info I needed to help us transform Android into an iPhone copycat!..." (allegedly)



    Tosser!
  • Reply 4 of 97
    Makes sense. The changing relationship between Google and Apple forced Schmidt to be excused from an increasing number of discussions due to conflict of interest. Now that the iPhone generates well over half of Apple's revenue, he probably would have been asked to step away from a large percentage of board discussions about Apple's business strategy, as well as the iPad, Apple TV, and perhaps the entire iTunes Store/iCloud ecosystem.
  • Reply 5 of 97
    This story is 100% incorrect.



    The ORIGINAL headline said "stand" (I think it was AP).



    They corrected it to say something like, "I stayed on the board as long as I could until I couldn't stay anymore."



    He went on to praise his time on the Apple board and it was clear that he "left" for competitive reasons and not because he "couldn't stand" being on Apple's board.
  • Reply 6 of 97
    matrix07matrix07 Posts: 1,993member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    "I was on the board until I couldn't stand the board anymore," Schmidt said, according to Bloomberg.



    or until they kicked you out.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    "It's certainly the best performance of a CEO in 50 years," Schmidt reportedly said. "We've all benefitted from the tremendous innovation at Apple. And I say this as a very proud former board member at Apple."




    It's good to be honest, isn't it?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bobringer View Post


    They corrected it to say something like, "I stayed on the board as long as I could until I couldn't stay anymore."



    This more like it. It suit a weasel character like Eric more.
  • Reply 7 of 97
    What a smarmy, creepy, ferret-faced little man. Too much sand kicked in his face for too many years on too many beaches. Would any of you parents let THIS man babysit your children? Trust is everything. Betrayal is unforgivable. May he endure the rest of eternity in one of Satan's mouths alongside Brutus, Cassius, and Judas. (A Dantean allusion.)
  • Reply 8 of 97
    be so happy if i never have to see or hear this douche ever again.
  • Reply 9 of 97
    really? the guy is a saint. He used privileged information to stab Apple and make google buy android and invest in the mobile arena and then transformed android in an iOS ripoff. Not to mention GoogleTV. What a saint.
  • Reply 10 of 97
    Apple is no place for wimps. Schmidt is the equivalent of being picked last in gym class.
  • Reply 11 of 97
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member
    Who the .... does he think he is?



    (Surely he is Google's Balmer, or is that unfair on MS's chief?)



    EDIT - So, perhaps he was misquoted.
  • Reply 12 of 97
    Eric Schmidt is one of the creepiest people in American business. Google moved up a notch beyond scum once he was no longer the CEO.
  • Reply 13 of 97
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    I notice that he was happy to take Apple's money.



    Not to mention their ideas.
  • Reply 14 of 97
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member
    There sure are a lot of sandy vaginas on AI today.
  • Reply 15 of 97
    He could "stand" it just long enough to get insider Apple product information and take it to Google. Stay classy, Schmidt or should I say Schmuck!
  • Reply 16 of 97
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RichL View Post


    There sure are a lot of sandy vaginas on AI today.



    lol

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by LunarMoon View Post


    really? the guy is a saint. He used privileged information to stab Apple and make google buy android and invest in the mobile arena and then transformed android in an iOS ripoff. Not to mention GoogleTV. What a saint.



    Android was purchased in 2005. Apple changed the mobile landscape and ALL competitors had to shift focus to even cobsider competition with Apple. If Android hadn't transformed from hideous to...well. less hideous and more touch friendly Android wouldn't have survived.



    If you honestly believe that Schmidt stole information from Apple and somehow got away Scott free you are mistaken. Apple is far too proud for that. And if that is proven to be the case then he deserves whatever legal ramifications there are.



    but do far nothing beyond speculation from Apple fans supports this claim.



    I'm willing to bet it's not true. You?
  • Reply 17 of 97
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    If he had actually said he couldn't stand the Apple board it would be pretty low IMO. But he didn't. If you listen to the actual interview he never said that.



    At least the San Francisco paper that made the erroneous quote the headline has now corrected it.



    Amazing how a one word error in a headline can change the entire meaning.



    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...QQ2V22731A.DTL
  • Reply 18 of 97
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RichL View Post


    There sure are a lot of sandy vaginas on AI today.



    Just trying to picture that!
  • Reply 19 of 97
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RichL View Post


    There sure are a lot of sandy vaginas on AI today.



    Sandy Vagina... wasn't she in an old James Bond movie?
  • Reply 20 of 97
    I will admit that I had some of the same prejudices against Schmidt being voiced on these comments going into the Salesforce.com keynote where this statement was made.



    However, he most definitely said STAY on the board and not STAND.



    He had nothing but good things to say Steve Jobs, Apple, and Apple's products.



    He was not so kind to Steve Balmer and Sarah Palin.



    I definitely left the keynote with a lot more respect for him than when I went in.
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