After an extensive search of Silicon Valley’s top executives that lasted more than a year, Larry Page and Sergey Brin selected Eric Schmidt, 46, a Sun Microsystems veteran, to be Google’s CEO in 2001. A Unique Factor What set Schmidt apart from other candidates was his participation in Burning Man, a week-long 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 Page and Brin also enjoyed. Schmidt’s participation demonstrated a shared openness to unconventional ideas and innovation, making him a “great cultural fit” for Google.

Reflecting this influence, Google’s very first “Google Doodle” was a playful Burning Man character, created in 1998 to signal Page and Brin’s temporary absence from the office while they attended the festival. Today, Burning Man artwork is even on display at Google 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 to technology and business.