Then-executive chairman of Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company, Eric Schmidt speaks during a National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) conference November 5, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Former Google CEO: Social Networks Serving as 'Amplifiers for Idiots and Crazy People'
Eric Schmidt said regulation should be directed toward "the excesses in the social-networking space."
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt suggested Wednesday that social networks are "amplifiers for idiots" and that the U.S. government's new antitrust lawsuit targeting the search engine giant is baseless.
Schmidt's remarks came during an interview at a technology conference hosted by the Wall Street Journal just a day after the Justice Department announced the landmark case.
No longer with Google--"I can say what I actually think," he said--Schmidt still holds over $5 billion in shares of Google's parent company, Alphabet. He's also chair of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, and his later tenure at Google saw heated criticism for the company's role in military initiatives. The New York Times described him earlier this year as having "reinvented himself as the prime liaison between Silicon Valley and the national security community."
The antitrust lawsuit, said Schmidt, was "largely driven by Republicans."
"It's bad public policy to use antitrust to regulate," Schmidt said, adding that "Google's market share is not 100%."
He also brushed off "these dominance arguments," though Google controls roughly 90% of global web searches.
Social network platforms, said Schmidt, are deserving of regulatory scrutiny.
"The most obvious candidate for regulation are the excesses in the social-networking space," said Schmidt.
"The concept of social networks, broadly speaking, as amplifiers for idiots and crazy people is not what we intended," he said, adding, "Unless the industry gets its act together in a really clever way, there will be regulation."
The former executive's comments came amid growing questions about efforts social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter have made to promote or censor news stories and hate speech and to control misinformation.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt suggested Wednesday that social networks are "amplifiers for idiots" and that the U.S. government's new antitrust lawsuit targeting the search engine giant is baseless.
Schmidt's remarks came during an interview at a technology conference hosted by the Wall Street Journal just a day after the Justice Department announced the landmark case.
No longer with Google--"I can say what I actually think," he said--Schmidt still holds over $5 billion in shares of Google's parent company, Alphabet. He's also chair of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, and his later tenure at Google saw heated criticism for the company's role in military initiatives. The New York Times described him earlier this year as having "reinvented himself as the prime liaison between Silicon Valley and the national security community."
The antitrust lawsuit, said Schmidt, was "largely driven by Republicans."
"It's bad public policy to use antitrust to regulate," Schmidt said, adding that "Google's market share is not 100%."
He also brushed off "these dominance arguments," though Google controls roughly 90% of global web searches.
Social network platforms, said Schmidt, are deserving of regulatory scrutiny.
"The most obvious candidate for regulation are the excesses in the social-networking space," said Schmidt.
"The concept of social networks, broadly speaking, as amplifiers for idiots and crazy people is not what we intended," he said, adding, "Unless the industry gets its act together in a really clever way, there will be regulation."
The former executive's comments came amid growing questions about efforts social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter have made to promote or censor news stories and hate speech and to control misinformation.
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt suggested Wednesday that social networks are "amplifiers for idiots" and that the U.S. government's new antitrust lawsuit targeting the search engine giant is baseless.
Schmidt's remarks came during an interview at a technology conference hosted by the Wall Street Journal just a day after the Justice Department announced the landmark case.
No longer with Google--"I can say what I actually think," he said--Schmidt still holds over $5 billion in shares of Google's parent company, Alphabet. He's also chair of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, and his later tenure at Google saw heated criticism for the company's role in military initiatives. The New York Times described him earlier this year as having "reinvented himself as the prime liaison between Silicon Valley and the national security community."
The antitrust lawsuit, said Schmidt, was "largely driven by Republicans."
"It's bad public policy to use antitrust to regulate," Schmidt said, adding that "Google's market share is not 100%."
He also brushed off "these dominance arguments," though Google controls roughly 90% of global web searches.
Social network platforms, said Schmidt, are deserving of regulatory scrutiny.
"The most obvious candidate for regulation are the excesses in the social-networking space," said Schmidt.
"The concept of social networks, broadly speaking, as amplifiers for idiots and crazy people is not what we intended," he said, adding, "Unless the industry gets its act together in a really clever way, there will be regulation."
The former executive's comments came amid growing questions about efforts social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter have made to promote or censor news stories and hate speech and to control misinformation.