His account’s not verified, he has a weird username, and he hasn’t bothered to upload an avatar, but tweets from several current and former Google employees seem to suggest that it’s real.
Nonetheless, Schmidt either has an ironic sense of humor, questionable taste, or is simply being imitated by a prankster, because among the tech titan’s follows include the polarizing reality TV star Heidi Montag, someone you would certainly think operates in a different social sphere than the Google CEO. A bit more understandably, but still somewhat surprising, Schmidt is also following 50 Cent, Diddy and The Dixie Chicks.
Also peculiar, Schmidt’s following the wrong Marrisa Mayer (the real one is a high-ranking executive at Google) whose real account is actually located here. On the other hand, perhaps Schmidt just used an address book importer to follow people, which would explain why other big names with dubious-looking accounts like Barry Diller are also being followed.
In any event, we’ve contacted Google and will update here if they confirm or deny Schmidt’s account. In the meantime, let us know what you think in the comments: real or fake?
Update: The Schmidt account has been moved to @ericschmidt and is now verified by Twitter. Schmidt's also now following the correct Marissa Mayer. But apparently the Google CEO's interest in The Hills star endures.