Eric Schmidt and Stephen Colbert on Everything From Politics to Google Play (Video)

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Stephen Colbert stopped off at Google’s New York office recently to chat with Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, and to promote his new book “America Again: Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren’t.”

The interview took place a while back, apparently, but the uncut version was just posted to YouTube on Friday. Schmidt, who was dressed in a shimmery baby-blue tie and gray suit jacket, lobbed some pretty easy ones at the fleece-wearing Colbert.

One highlight of the hour-long video came eight minutes in, when Schmidt told Colbert that his book was available on Google Play. “What does that mean?” Colbert asked. “It’s like the one [online store] that’s named after a rain forest?”

In reply, Schmidt said, “Yes, it’s the competitor to the rain forest,” adding that it’s where people will pay you lots of money for your book. In response, Colbert quipped: “Well, then it’s a wonderful service.”

During the Q&A, Schmidt seriously asked Colbert: “How do you think Google can become the greatness that we never weren’t?”

Colbert clearly likes Google, because he quoted Bruce Lee, from “Enter the Dragon,” in his answer: “It kind of already is — I’m not trying to blow second-hand smoke up your butt. Google can be anything you want it to be, because it’s a reflection of your own desire. It’s a portal to want you want it to be. Unless you are putting restrictions on the information I think I’m getting, then it’s anything I want it to be. It’s an actuator or pathway to what we want. It’s the finger that allows us to look at the moon.”

Nice answer, Colbert. I’m sure Schmidt was hoping that the FTC was listening in on that one.

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— Om Malik on Bloomberg TV, talking about Yahoo, the September issue of Vogue Magazine, and our overdependence on Google