The 70-year-old billionaire ex-CEO of Google, who has been married for over 45 years, has a new companion: a German model and the daughter of a politician who was born 18 years after his marriage.
German newspaper BILD reported that former big tech boss Eric Schmidt, who has been married to his wife Wendy Schmidt since 1980, has been spending nearly all his time with Gloria-Sophie Burkandt, a 27-year-old model and the daughter of Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder.
The two were first spotted together at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month, and according to BILD sources within Schmidt’s orbit, they have been together almost daily for weeks, including spending the New Year together.
A “close confidant” of Schmidt’s told the outlet that he would describe their connection as a romantic relationship, but rather that they are “close friends.”
Burkandt is a model, actress, and doctoral student. Schmidt is 11 years older than her father, Söder, who is the leader of the conservative Christian Social Union Party in Bavaria.
She shared a post on Instagram on January 21 describing her time at the World Economic Forum, in which she said, “listening to the conversations around AI and the future of Europe was deeply moving for me.”
“These were not abstract debates about technology, but honest reflections on responsibility, values, and the kind of world we are creating,” she wrote.
Schmidt and Burkandt first met at Harvard University in November, according to BILD, and shortly after began appearing together at global events.
Schmidt and his wife, Wendy, also 70, reportedly have an open relationship, as the billionaire ex-CEO has previously been romantically linked to other younger women, including former Olympic skater Alexandra Duisberg, 39, and former CNBC journalist Kate Bohner, 58.
His last public relationship was with tech entrepreneur Michelle Ritter, 32, which ended in disaster for Schmidt.
Ritter, the founder of AI startup Steel Perlot, accused the tech billionaire of stalking, digital surveillance, and sexual assault in November after Schmidt had invested over $100 million into her company, according to court documents from the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Through his attorneys, Schmidt denied the allegations and called them “demonstrably false.”
Schmidt served as Google’s CEO for 10 years before serving another four as +’its executive chairman. In March 2025, he became the CEO of the aerospace manufacturing company Relativity Space.
He is worth more than $54 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The Daily Beast reached out to Schmidt and Burkandt for comment.
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