How Henry Kissinger Inspires Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt to Keep Working Beyond 70

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Eric Schmidt, who served as CEO and then executive chairman for well over a decade, could have easily retired in 2020 at the age of 65. However, he has remained active as an author, CEO, and startup founder, working on the development of power and data center campuses in West Texas.

“Meaningful work,” Schmidt, now 70, told in an emailed interview. “Henry Kissinger was my best friend and mentor, and he worked every day well past the age of 100.”

“He believed that periods of major change require responsibility and action, not detachment,” Schmidt said of Kissinger. “That perspective influences how I approach AI today, ensuring we stay actively involved in guiding its impact for the public good.”

It’s not a coincidence that Schmidt and Kissinger, the renowned former U.S. secretary of state and longtime corporate adviser who passed away in 2023, co-authored the 2021 book The Age of AI: And Our Human Future, publishing it a full year before the launch of ChatGPT.

Schmidt and Kissinger met early during Schmidt’s tenure as Google CEO. Schmidt invited Kissinger to the headquarters, where Kissinger immediately told Google employees that the company was “a threat to the world’s civilization.” They became close friends from there, and Schmidt helped Kissinger adopt new technology, including his first iPad and his first selfie.

Schmidt is the co-founder of the non-profit that organizes the AI+ Expo for National Competitiveness. And, in March, he became the CEO of aerospace manufacturer Relativity Space after acquiring a controlling interest in the company. Months later, he co-founded Bolt and became its chairman.

“I continue to work because this is a crucial moment for AI, and I believe we have a responsibility to shape it in ways that have a positive impact on the world. The single biggest bottleneck facing AI is not algorithms, but energy,” Schmidt said. “If we want to scale the technology responsibly and keep America competitive, we need the infrastructure to power it. That’s why I co-founded Bolt. By controlling land, developing power generation, and operating data centers, we can co-locate massive power with massive compute to create a more efficient, reliable, and cost-effective ecosystem.”

Bolt will begin by building natural gas-fired power in West Texas, which is the center of the oil and gas industry, but will also incorporate renewables with the goal of eventually developing nuclear power there.

“Our approach will also include renewables, with a strong focus on battery storage and energy technologies that enhance resilience and reduce environmental impact,” Schmidt added. “This gives us a real advantage as AI models grow larger and the demand for high-density GPU clusters increases. For me, this is not just about solving a technical problem; it’s about ensuring that AI develops in ways that benefit humanity and reflect democratic values.”