At Startup Fest in Amsterdam yesterday, CNBC reports, Eric Schmidt — CEO of Google’s parent company, Alphabet — confessed to having an iPhone 6s.

As CNET notes, it’s hard to imagine Steve Jobs admitting to owning a Samsung Galaxy. Even if he were to have bought one, which is even harder to imagine, we might add.

But that’s the thing: It’s loftier to claim your products are the best and that you don’t want the competitor’s products. It’s smarter to claim that your products are better while also saying you own a competitor’s product.

You see, Schmidt didn’t just say he has an iPhone: He said he also has a Samsung Galaxy S7, and that it’s better. “The Samsung S7 is better, has a better battery. Are we clear?... And to those of you who are iPhone users, I'm right.”

That’s so much like Google and like Schmidt, and it’s smarter: You can’t say your stuff is better if you don’t use the other guy’s products.

But then again, Schmidt was on the board of Apple at one time. He left because he didn’t like the conflict between Android and the iPhone.

It makes perfect sense, therefore, for Eric Schmidt to publicly compare the two.

Tags : Google, Apple iPhone, Apple, Eric Schmidt