Ex-Google CEO got the job after a Burning Man trip with Larry Page. Now an ex’s intro could make him $20B on Anthropic

Eric Schmidt, a former CEO of Google, is benefiting from the people he knows.

He became Google's CEO after its co-founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, checked him out as a candidate. They asked him to take part in an unusual interview process for the job.

Schmidt told Stephen Colbert in an interview, "We all went to Burning Man together. There's a rule at Burning Man. No photos."

Now, an introduction to Anthropic through a former girlfriend could make Schmidt billions of dollars and greatly increase his wealth.

Here's what is happening with Schmidt and Anthropic.

Schmidt invested in Anthropic early through a former girlfriend. Its IPO could make him billions

In 2011, Schmidt began dating a woman named Camilla Clark. They were together for three years.

Clark later married Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic. According to The Wall Street Journal, she would become a major influence on the company.

This connection helped Schmidt in 2018, when he met with Clark and her partner at the time, Amodei, who is now her husband, to discuss Anthropic. Schmidt eventually invested in the company while it was still young. He now owns about 1% of it.

The investment turned out to be very valuable, even though success did not seem certain at first.

"The doctrine a few years ago was Anthropic would not be able to scale, because it wouldn't be able to raise the money," Schmidt told Bloomberg News.

Eight years later, Anthropic is moving toward a major initial public offering (IPO) before the end of the year. The Financial Times reports that the company could be valued at as much as $2 trillion. If that happens, Schmidt's 1% stake could be worth $20 billion. According to Forbes, that would be more than half his current net worth.

Schmidt invested when the entire company was worth about $461 million. His investment has therefore turned out to be extremely valuable.

Burning Man shows how hobbies outside work can help your career

Burning Man clearly played an important part in Schmidt getting the top job at Google.

"Eric was… the only [CEO finalist] who went to Burning Man," Brin told Doc Searls, a fellow at the Berkman Center. "We thought [that] was an important criterion."

Burning Man has long been important to workers in Silicon Valley. The event brings together creativity, building things and technology, which fit well with the skills expected of people who work at startups. Its week-long atmosphere of working together also gives people chances to meet and make useful connections.

"Entrepreneurs love Burning Man because it is the purest realization of the Silicon Valley DNA you can find," Razorfish founder Richard Titus told Inc.

This does not mean you should rush to buy a Burning Man ticket just because you want a job in technology. Tickets can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, and there are probably more effective ways to spend that money on your career.

Still, hobbies can help you move forward in your career. They can help you meet people and build connections with others who share your interests. These connections, sometimes called "weak ties," can help you discover job opportunities.

Weak ties are people outside your close circle who may work in a similar job or industry. They can tell you about opportunities you might not otherwise hear about.

Hobbies can also help you develop useful work skills, such as solving problems and thinking creatively. They can also lower stress and help you avoid burnout.