We run the company by questions, not by answers.
Eric SchmidtRead
The Internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn't understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The Internet represents a complex creation by humanity that we struggle to fully comprehend, symbolizing a chaotic and uncontrolled experiment.
This quote by Eric Schmidt highlights the paradox of the Internet as a monumental achievement of human ingenuity that, paradoxically, eludes total understanding. It reflects on how we have created a vast network that functions on principles of decentralized operation and unpredictability, posing challenges that humanity must grapple with as we navigate its implications in our lives.
Themes
InternetUnderstandingExperimentAnarchyTechnology
In practice
Example use cases
In a tech conference discussing the implications of AI and the Internet, this quote can be used to illustrate the complexities involved.
More from Eric Schmidt
All quotes βWhen the Internet publicity began, I remember being struck by how much the world was not the way we thought it was, that there was infinite variation in how people viewed the world.
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For those who say you're thinking too big... be smart enough not to listen. For those who say the odds are too small ... be dumb enough to give it a shot. And for those who ask, how can you do that?... look them in the eyes and say, I'll figure it out.
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We used to think that the enterprise was the hardest customer to satisfy, but we were wrong. It turns out, consumers are harder than the enterprise because the consumer will not give you a second chance.
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The characteristic of great innovators and great companies is they see a space that others do not. They don't just listen to what people tell them; they actually invent something new, something that you didn't know you needed, but the moment you see it, you say, 'I must have it.'
Eric SchmidtRead
People who bet against the Internet, who think that somehow this change is just a generational shift, miss that it is a fundamental reorganizing of the power of the end user. The Internet brings tremendous tools to the end user, and that end user is going to use them.
Eric SchmidtRead
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