Overview
- Footage from the World Economic Forum in Davos showed Schmidt with an unidentified woman later named by Bild as Gloria-Sophie Burkandt, the 27-year-old daughter of Bavarian leader Markus Söder.
- Bild reports the pair spent recent weeks together across the United States, India, and Europe and cites claims they first met at Harvard in late 2025.
- Outlets quoting a source close to Schmidt say the connection is a friendship rather than a romantic relationship, and neither Schmidt nor Burkandt has confirmed otherwise.
- Coverage points to a possible reunion on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference from February 13 to 15, presented as an expectation rather than a confirmed plan.
- Context includes Schmidt’s longstanding marriage to Wendy Schmidt, often described in media as an open arrangement, and past legal disputes with Michelle Ritter that he denies.