As Google's CEO, one of Eric Schmidt's duties is to represent the company in public. Co-presidents and co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin limit their appearances, presumably because they value their privacy, but also because they seem to prefer it that way. Less time glad-handing means more time thinking big thoughts, working with their fellow Google engineers and, frankly, kitesurfing and other recreational activities.
As for Schmidt, dealing with the public, including the media, means defending and explaining Google (GOOG, Fortune 500), a time-consuming task given the still intense interest in the company, nearly four years after its blockbuster IPO, from all corners of the globe.
On the last day of March, two and half weeks before Google reported impressive financial results that defied predictions of an economy-affected slowdown, Schmidt sat down with Fortune's Adam Lashinsky at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., to discuss Google's reputation, its challenges and what impact the company is feeling from the departures of some of its key employees....
