Remote work and overemphasis on work-life balance hurt tech growth: former Google CEO
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Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has reignited the debate over remote work, warning that it weakens collaboration and learning, especially for young professionals.
Speaking at the "All-In" podcast, Schmidt argued that flexible work policies are hurting the tech industry’s competitiveness. "Winning in tech requires making tradeoffs," he said, stressing that mentorship, collaboration, and innovation suffer when employees work from home.
Schmidt noted that remote work makes it harder for early-career employees to gain experience. "Think about a 20-something who has to learn how the world works," he said, recalling how he learned by listening to older colleagues debate at Sun Microsystems. "How do you recreate that in this new thing?" he asked.
He was blunt about his position: "I am not in favour of, essentially, working at home," Schmidt told the All-In Summit earlier this month. His remarks were featured in a Wednesday episode of the podcast.
Schmidt added, "I’m in favour of work-life balance, and that’s why people work for the government," before repeating "sorry" four times. "If you’re going to be in tech, and you’re going to win, you’re going to have to make some tradeoffs," he said.
The former Google chief also pointed to the competitive pressure from China’s intense "996" culture, where employees work 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. Though the practice is technically illegal, Schmidt noted that many Chinese companies still follow it, raising challenges for US firms.
According to Business Insider, Schmidt’s remarks echo his past criticism of Google’s remote work approach. Last year, he said the company was losing ground to smaller AI startups partly because of its flexible work culture. Although he softened his stance later, his latest comments show his continuing belief that in-person work is crucial for high-performance teams.
His comments come as the tech industry continues to wrestle with hybrid and remote work models adopted after the pandemic.