--- description: Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt and other executives visited Cuba to promote “a free and open Internet" title: Google Executives Visit Cuba image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9a1db698207c0ca5/698699e2d0b6f21a79305144/schmidt-google_30-jun.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Cuba](/tag/cuba/) ## Cuba Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Google Boss Eric Schmidt Leads a Visit to Cuba by [Stephanie Burnett](/author/stephanie-burnett/) ## Stephanie Burnett Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 30, 2014 4:41 AM CUT  Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt speaks during the 2014 SXSW Festival in Austin on March 7, 2014 Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt speaks during the 2014 SXSW Festival in Austin on March 7, 2014Heather Kennedy / Getty Images by [Stephanie Burnett](/author/stephanie-burnett/) ## Stephanie Burnett Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 30, 2014 4:41 AM CUT Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt has visited Cuba to promote “a free and open Internet,” the country’s independent online newspaper 14yMedio [reported](http://www.14ymedio.com/nacional/Presidente-Google-visita-oficial-Cuba%5F0%5F1586841303.html "undefined") on Saturday. Company executives Jared Cohen, Brett Perlmutter and Dan Keyserling also joined the trip, said the news site, which is run by dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez. The visiting team reportedly “met with officials,” spoke “with youth at polytechnic schools” and visited the University of Computer Sciences. [According](https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/google-executives-visit-cuba-promote-212557287.html "undefined") to AFP, Google’s visit was not reported in any official Cuban media. In her blog, Generation Y, Sanchez [wrote](http://www.14ymedio.com/blogs/generacion%5Fy/ "undefined"), “We didn’t ask him any questions, and we didn’t want any answers, we just told him who we are and what we are trying to do.” U.S.-based Schmidt confirmed the business trip in a Google+ [post](https://plus.google.com/+EricSchmidt/posts "undefined") and criticized the U.S. embargo on the Latin American country. “Cuba will have to open its political and business economy, and the U.S. will have to overcome our history and open the embargo. Both countries have to do something that is hard to do politically, but it will be worth it,” he wrote. Only government-approved professionals and specialists can access the Internet from their homes in Cuba. \[[_AFP_](https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/google-executives-visit-cuba-promote-212557287.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2938843/google-visit-cuba/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2938843/google-visit-cuba/"},"headline":"Google Boss Eric Schmidt Leads a Visit to Cuba","datePublished":"2014-06-30T04:41:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:02:40.393Z","description":"The visiting team spent two days in the Cuban capital to encourage an open Internet","url":"https://time.com/2938843/google-visit-cuba/","keywords":["Cuba","Tech","Internet","Google","Cuba topic","Havana"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9a1db698207c0ca5/698699e2d0b6f21a79305144/schmidt-google_30-jun.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Stephanie Burnett","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/stephanie-burnett/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9a1db698207c0ca5/698699e2d0b6f21a79305144/schmidt-google_30-jun.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The New Digital Age - 2014 SXSW Music, Film + Interactive Festival","caption":"The New Digital Age - 2014 SXSW Music, Film + Interactive Festival","creditText":"Heather Kennedy / Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/cuba/","name":"Cuba"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2938843/google-visit-cuba/","name":"Google Boss Eric Schmidt Leads a Visit to Cuba"}}]}] ```