Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt Is Working On A Secret Military Drone Project

Forbes

Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt has been quietly plotting a new defense tech effort: a stealth military drone project, four sources with knowledge of the effort told Forbes. The project’s existence has not been previously reported and it has yet to publicly launch.  One of the defense industry’s loudest advocates in Silicon Valley, the billionaire has been planning a covert venture inspired by Ukraine’s use of drones on the battlefield, with the help of Google alum Sebastian Thrun.  Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahemerson/2024/01/09/ex-google-ceo-eric-schmidt-is-working-on-a-secret-military-drone-project/?sh=6beed6986c6b  Forbes Daily Briefing shares the best of Forbes reporting on wealth, business, entrepreneurship, leadership and more. Tune in every day, seven days a week, to hear a new story. Subscribe here: https://art19.com/shows/forbes-daily-briefing Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript  Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com  Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

Transcript

00:00 Here's your Forbes Daily Briefing for Thursday, January 11th.

00:04 Today on Forbes, ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt is working on a secret military drone project.

00:13 Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt has been quietly plotting a new defense tech effort, a stealth

00:18 military drone project, this according to four sources with knowledge of the effort.

00:24 The project's existence has not been previously reported and it has yet to publicly launch.

00:30 The clandestine project intends to provide an American alternative to Chinese drones

00:35 and will develop unmanned aircraft systems specifically to be used on the battlefield,

00:40 two of the sources said.

00:42 Three of the sources familiar with Schmidt's engagements said the work is influenced by

00:46 his recent visits to Ukraine, where the billionaire has made inroads with government officials

00:50 and military leaders over the past year.

00:54 Two of these individuals added that Sebastian Thrun, a co-founder of Google's Moonshot

00:58 Lab, is involved with the effort.

01:01 Forbes was unable to determine who other than Thrun is helping with the secretive project,

01:05 when it commenced, and whether Schmidt is its sole backer.

01:09 According to two sources, only a handful of people are working on the project, which Schmidt

01:13 has largely managed to keep quiet due to geopolitical sensitivities.

01:18 It's unclear whether a company has even been incorporated.

01:22 Schmidt and Thrun declined to comment.

01:25 Schmidt has opined extensively on the way drones are reshaping the war in Ukraine.

01:29 In a July op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, after returning from Kiev, Schmidt wrote,

01:34 "The future of war will be dictated and waged by drones."

01:40 Earlier this year, the Washington Post reported that Schmidt, alongside other investors, had

01:44 committed $10 million to Ukrainian startup accelerator D3, which focuses on military

01:49 tech but appears to be separate from this new venture.

01:53 D3, which stands for Dare to Defend Democracy, will provide an initial $125,000 in funding

01:59 to early-stage startups, as well as mentorship opportunities.

02:04 Since leaving his chairman role at Google in 2017, Schmidt has poured much of his time

02:09 and wealth into bridging the interests of Silicon Valley and the Pentagon through various

02:13 advisory committees, think tanks, and his vast startup portfolio.

02:18 In Washington, D.C., he's advocated for military agencies to accelerate their technology investments,

02:24 particularly around AI, which he believes will play a key role in national security

02:28 and China affairs.

02:30 Schmidt previously served as chairman of the Defense Department's Innovation Board and

02:34 commissioner of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, where he made

02:38 formal recommendations on America's AI strategy.

02:42 These government connections have given Schmidt a statesman-like halo in the U.S. and abroad,

02:47 where he's leveraged his clout to meet with powerful military strategists.

02:51 Schmidt's recent personal missions to Ukraine helped to inform his new drone project, according

02:56 to three sources familiar with the billionaire's thinking.

02:59 In particular, two of them said, he was interested in the country's use of drones and quadcopters

03:04 to launch a counteroffensive against Russia.

03:06 In September 2022, Andrei Yermak, head of the office of President Volodymyr Zelensky,

03:13 announced that he and Schmidt had discussed "technological solutions" for expelling Russian

03:18 forces from Ukraine.

03:21 Sebastian Thrun, a veteran aeronautics founder and Schmidt's former Google colleague, makes

03:26 sense as a collaborator.

03:28 A robotics expert from Germany, he forged his first ties with Google in 2010, after

03:33 co-founder Larry Page recruited him to build self-driving cars, which Thrun had already

03:37 been working on at Stanford University.

03:40 The initiative would eventually become Google Parent Alphabet's Waymo subsidiary, and the

03:44 lab morphed into Google X, the tech giant's Skunk Works incubator for moonshot projects.

03:50 In 2010, Thrun also founded the air taxi startup Kitty Hawk with backing from Page.

03:55 However, that startup shut down last year.

03:59 He also created the online education company Udacity in 2011, before leaving his role as

04:04 a vice president and fellow at Google three years later.

04:07 He recently announced a new AI company called Sage Labs.

04:12 For full coverage, check out Sarah Emerson and Richard Nieves' piece on Forbes.com.

04:18 This is Kieran Meadows from Forbes.

04:21 Thanks for tuning in.

04:22 [MUSIC PLAYING]

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