Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt, 70, has been romantically linked to the 27-year-old German daughter of Bavaria’s minister-president after the pair were spotted together at Davos. 

The billionaire was seen with model Gloria-Sophie Burkandt at the high-profile global event in Switzerland last month. Now, Germany’s biggest newspaper, BILD, is reporting that they are an item. 

Their rumored romance – and 43-year age gap – have drawn intense attention on both sides of the Atlantic. Schmidt is 21 years older than Burkandt’s father, Markus Soder. 

BILD said Schmidt and Burkandt have spent a lot of time together in recent weeks, traveling across the United States, India and Europe. They are expected to attend the Munich Security Conference next week.

A source close to Schmidt’s circle told the newspaper he would not formally describe the connection as a romantic relationship, saying instead that the two are ‘close friends’.

Despite being married to his wife, Wendy, for 45 years, Schmidt has been recently linked to multiple young brunettes.

Eric Schmidt, 70, with 27-year-old Gloria-Sophie Burkandt at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January

Sources have insisted that the 27-year-old and Schmidt are just friends 

Burkandt’s father, Soder, is the leader of Germany’s conservative Christian Social Union, placing her at the center of one of Europe’s most influential political families.

She has built her own public profile as a model, author, and public speaker, while also serving as patron of the Richard Wagner for Children education initiative, linked to the Bayreuth Festival. 

Burkandt herself hinted at the significance of the moment in a January 21 Instagram post from Davos.

‘Being at the World Economic Forum and listening to conversations about AI and the future of Europe deeply moved me,’ she wrote. ‘When I imagine my future children, I hope they grow up in a world that protects curiosity, freedom, and compassion.’

According to German media reports, she studied economics, completed graduate degrees, and is pursuing doctoral work.

Her international lifestyle, splitting time between New York, Los Angeles, Munich, and Nuremberg, suggested she was already familiar with the lifestyle of the elite before Schmidt entered the picture.

According to BILD, Schmidt and Burkandt are believed to have met at Harvard University in late 2025. Shortly afterward, they began appearing together at major international gatherings.

A source close to Burkandt told the Daily Mail on Tuesday that BILD’s reporting was ‘full of inaccuracies’ and explained how Schmidt and Burkandt did not meet at Harvard nor are they attending the Munich Security Conference together. 

The source added that Schmidt did not take Burkandt to India and there is no romantic interest between them – only friendship.

The source also noted when Schmidt met with Burkandt in Davos last month, she was part of a wider group of people that he saw during the global meetup.  

Schmidt’s influence today extends far beyond Silicon Valley. He remains active in artificial intelligence, aerospace ventures, and philanthropy, shaping discussions about the future of technology and national security.

Burkandt has similarly positioned herself within global conversations about economics, education, and social development.

Schmidt, who led Google through its explosive growth into a global technology powerhouse, has been married to philanthropist Wendy Schmidt, 70, since 1980. 

Schmidt has been married to wife Wendy for 45 years. While they have not commented publicly on their marriage, they are rumored to be in an open relationship

Burkandt is a model, public speaker, and patron of the Bayreuth Festival’s ‘Richard Wagner for Children’ project

Burkandt is the daughter of Markus Soder, right, the minister-president of Bavaria and leader of Germany’s Christian Social Union

Burkandt has studied economics and is pursuing doctoral-level academic work, according to German media reports

Burkandt has lived and worked internationally, including spending extended time in New York and Los Angeles while building her career in media and public speaking

She serves as president of the Schmidt Family Foundation, which funds environmental and social initiatives worldwide.

The two reportedly have an open relationship, with Schmidt having been previously linked to glamorous younger women, including fashion designer Shoshanna Gruss, socialite Ulla Parker, PR executive Marcy Simon, Council on Foreign Relations communications VP Lisa Shields, pianist Cho-San Nguyen, former CNBC correspondent Kate Bohner, and former Olympic skater Alexandra Duisberg. 

Schmidt and Wendy have maintained an unconventional marital arrangement and have never announced plans to divorce. They continue appearing together publicly.

His immense wealth, estimated to be in the tens of billions, has allowed him to operate at the highest levels of business, science, and international policy long after stepping down from day-to-day leadership at Google.

He was the CEO of Google from 2001 to 2011, and served as executive chairman from 2011 to 2018. 

Schmidt’s latest relationship follows a bitter and highly public legal dispute with tech entrepreneur Michelle Ritter, whom he dated after meeting through professional connections.

Ritter filed legal claims accusing Schmidt of abuse, surveillance, and coercive control – allegations he has forcefully denied.

Schmidt previously dated tech entrepreneur Michelle Ritter, who later filed for a temporary restraining order against the 70-year-old 

Schmidt, right, frequently attends global forums such as the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he mingles with prime ministers such as Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu in 2021

In a court response, Schmidt called her claims ‘demonstrably false’ and described them as ‘a blatant abuse of the judicial system.’

His attorney Patricia Glaser later told the Daily Mail that Ritter’s filings were ‘false and defamatory’ and ‘the latest desperate and destructive effort’ to damage his reputation.

The legal fight stemmed from the collapse of both their romantic relationship and shared business ventures, including an AI startup Schmidt had backed with substantial investment.

The Daily Mail has reached out to both Schmidt for comment.