It looks like Google isn’t going to simultaneously lose its CEO and gain a powerful friend in Washington.  Eric Schmidt has said in no uncertain terms that he won’t become America’s first CTO.

Schmidt, whose name has been one of several getting tossed around, announced his stance during an interview with Jim Cramer.  Cramer, referring to Obama, stated, "Look, here’s what I would do if I were him.  I would say, okay, Eric, you talk a good game.  I want you to resign from Google and come to work for me as my chief tech czar.  If called, would you do it?"

 Eric Schmidt

Schmidt answered, "I love working at Google, and I’m happy at Google, so the answer is no. . . .  Google is its own exciting opportunity."

There you have it, then.  The politically inclined should know that Schmidt still had all sorts of positive things to say about Obama, so this development doesn’t seem to signal any sort of loss of confidence.  His willingness to leave things alone might even be a move in the other direction.

More search-focused individuals should just recognize that Schmidt’s demonstrated a great deal of loyalty to Google.  It’s hard to interpret this as anything other than a good sign for the company.