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After an extensive search through Silicon Valley's top executives that lasted over a year, Larry Page and Sergey Brin selected 46-year-old Eric Schmidt, a veteran of Sun Microsystems, as Google's CEO in 2001. One unique factor that set Schmidt apart from other candidates was his attendance at Burning Man, a weeklong, countercultural event held annually in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. This festival, known for its creative art installations and experimental community ethos, was an experience both Page and Brin also valued. Schmidt's participation demonstrated to them a shared openness to unconventional ideas and innovation, making him a "great cultural fit" for Google.
Reflecting this influence, Google's first-ever "Google Doodle" was a playful stick figure of the Burning Man, created in 1998 to signal Page and Brin's temporary absence from the office as they attended the festival. Today, Burning Man art is even displayed at Google's headquarters, reinforcing the cultural roots shared by Google's founders and their choice of CEO.
Burning Man has since attracted other major tech figures, including Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, who view the event as a source of inspiration for new ideas and approaches in technology and business.