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Google's Schmidt shocked at "ferocious" Jobs call

updated 06:45 pm EDT, Mon March 22, 2010

Google, Apple may have seen split at Burning Man

Google chief Eric Schmidt was genuinely shocked when he was berated by Steve Jobs for the first time over Android, an alleged tell-all supposedly revealed today. While headed to the 2007 Burning Man festival, Schmidt is said to have received a "ferocious" call from the Apple co-founder, who attacked him for establishing Android and allegedly deceiving Apple about his smartphone plans while sitting on the iPhone creator's board of directors. The dialogue was enough to have made the normally calm Schmidt upset and produce a "weird" expression on his face.

Jobs' verbal attack was considered a surprise to Schmidt, according to Gawker, as he along with Larry Page and Sergey Brin were not only positive about Jobs but had actively sought validation of Google's business practices. Schmidt to this day has referred to Jobs as the "best CEO in the world."

The reaction suggests that Google's CEO had little intention of directly affronting Apple and Jobs but also decided to pursue Android through the next two years despite full knowledge of the likely and actual consequences. Future heated Apple board meetings are understood to have followed and helped lead to Schmidt's eventual departure from the board altogether. In recent months, Google has stepped up its Android strategy and has gone so far as to implement multi-touch in core apps, a decision that may have broken an unwritten truce between Apple and Google and which may have led to Apple suing HTC in a proxy battle.

By Electronista Staff


  1. chas_m



    Dear Mr. Schmidt:

    I'm sure you are a very nice man, and I have used many of Google's services without complaint.

    However, DO NOT MESS WITH STEVE JOBS. He will eat your face.


  1. maxk

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jun 2008


    Burning Man?

    since when CEOs of major companies go to the BM? does it mean that people interested in developing their social network should drop obsolete golf lessons and start practicing rave moves and develop endurance to various chemicals ;)

  1. ricardogf

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jan 2003



    Schmidt enjoyed sitting on Apple's board and stealing its R&'s payback time now.


  1. jarod

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Apr 2005


    Schmidt has no class

    Low life piece of s***!

  1. WiseWeasel

    Junior Member

    Joined: Apr 1999



    Schmidt went to Burning Man? My respect for him just went up quite a bit. I can't picture many major company CEOs being able to pull off something like that.

  1. ryanjo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 2001


    Watch your back, Eric!

    The two most vindictive entities on the planet are now pee-oed with Google, the People's Republic of China and Steve Jobs.

    Eric -- Steve and Wen Jiabao are getting your replacement clone ready now, Mr. Manchurian Candidate...

  1. The Vicar

    Junior Member

    Joined: Jul 2009



    Burning Man is no longer anything special. It's no more countercultural than the "Indie" music which is distributed by members of the RIAA. It's a gimmick; an excuse for self-indulgent white people to go off and have some drugs and pretend they have a milligram of artistic insight.

  1. climacs

    Dedicated MacNNer

    Joined: Sep 2001



    BM jumped the shark about 10 years back when it got discovered by boomers and hipsters

  1. qazwart

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Apr 2001



    Eric Schmidt sat on Apple's board, and was involved in overall planning of Apple's development. He watched the iPhone being developed and how the iPhone would be the key to Apple's success in a new market. He even has Google make many of the basic Apps that the iPhone will be depending upon. Then, he goes out and makes a competing product and is SHOCKED, SHOCKED, that Apple is peeved?

    How can someone run such a successful company and be so clueless? Not only that, but Apple is suddenly finding out that much of its infrastructure depends heavily upon a competitor.

    I'm not bashing Android, but you come out of the blue and compete against the premiere product of a company who thought you were a strong business partner? It wasn't that long ago the FTC was talking about investigating the Google-Apple connection, or how Apple and Google might be forming a partnership to compete against the telcos in bidding for all that bandwidth.

  1. davester

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2001


    "a 'weird' expression on his face"

    Which wouldn't be hard to do, if your name is Eric S***.

    On a side note, it's history repeating all over again, akin to Gates' IP-theft of the Macintosh Finder.

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