Today, the billionaire is focusing his energy on rousing the U.S. to fight what he sees as its biggest tech struggle yet: competition with China.

What they're saying: "We have to do whatever it takes," he told Axios in an interview in Washington D.C. on Wednesday.

In Schmidt's eyes, China has already become a peer of the U.S. and has a clear plan for how it wants to dominate critical fields, from semiconductors to AI, and clean energy to biotech.

The U.S., meanwhile, has been slow to formulate a response and even slower to take action.
Driving the news: Schmidt was on Capitol Hill Wednesday making his case that the U.S. should set up a national academy to train tech workers who would work in a civilian capacity for the federal government for five years in return for their education.

In the long term, he envisions a separate four-year university, but initially the program could launch at existing universities who teach an agreed-upon curriculum, similar to the military's ROTC.
The big picture: China shapes Schmidt's views of everything from how tech should be regulated to the war in Ukraine.

"The fact of the matter is, the antitrust issue is a domestic issue. The real issue is we need to compete against China and win," he said. "I want all of the conversation to be with the tech industry — what does it take to produce globally strong platforms? What is it going to take?"

He's not opposed to reining in the industry's excesses, which he admits exist. But he argues that legislation should focus on addressing specific harms rather than looking to break up companies.

Schmidt also said Europe's proposals on regulating artificial intelligence "need to be re-done," and in general says he is opposed to regulating AI and other advances to solve problems that have yet to appear.