Google Inc. Chief Executive Eric Schmidt appears interested in joining Barack Obama's cabinet. He's not campaigning for the job, telling the Wall Street Journal that he was "too busy" running the world's largest search engine company.Of course, anyone who wants a cabinet position never admits it. It's considered a faux pas. Schmidt, though, seems to be interested in making a difference beyond Google. He does not want to sit back on some deserted island counting his billions as he downs exotic frozen drinks.
The Journal, citing unnamed tech and media executives, speculated that Schmidt "might desire a role in an Obama administration, possibly the chief technology officer post Sen. Obama has said he would create." Exactly what that job would entail is not clear. It sounds like the type of job where Schmidt would sit in an office somewhere in the White House thinking grand thoughts and writing grand reports that would gather dust almost as soon as they were published.
Schmidt's endorsement is hardly a shock. The Google co-founders are liberal in their politics. As the Journal noted, Google employees gave $487,355 to Obama's campaign compared with $20,600 to Republican John McCain as of Aug 31. Google is in much better shape politically than Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) whose CEO John Chambers is a big supporter of John McCain. Two other tech has-beens Meg Whitman of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) and Carly Fiorina of Hewlett-Packard Co. (NASDAQ: HPQ) also support McCain.
Maybe Schmidt is playing politics. Google has some major issues pending in Washington including net neutrality and possible Yahoo Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) dealings. You can bet that the Obama administration -- which will come into existence in a few weeks barring any shocking scandals -- will want to exploit its ties with the company that will one day rule the world.
