Former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt, 70, was photographed walking alongside Gloria-Sophie Burkandt, 27, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month.
The images, first published by German newspaperBILD, showed the pair flanked by security in the Swiss resort on 21 January 2026.
Burkandt is the eldest daughter of Markus Söder, 59, Bavaria's minister-president and leader of the conservative Christian Social Union. Schmidt is 11 years older than her father.
A source close to Schmidt toldthe New York Postthat the pair were 'close friends' and that the connection was not romantic.
BILD disputed that. The newspaper cited sources in Schmidt's inner circle who said the pair had been together 'almost daily for weeks', including over the New Year period.
Neither Schmidt nor Burkandt has made a public statement.
Burkandt, who stands 6ft 2in, is a model signed to Elite who has appeared in VogueTurkeyand worked with brands including Miu Miu and Tom Ford,the Daily Beast reported.
She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in economics and is working on a PhD thesis in New York. She divides her time between a luxury apartment in Manhattan's Midtown South, Munich andLos Angeles.
The pair are believed to have met at Harvard University in November 2025,BILD reported. They were reportedly expected to attend the Munich Security Conference together between 13 and 15 February 2026.
Burkandt is a member of her father's CSU party and has spoken publicly about technology and European policy. She wrote onInstagramafter Davos that 'listening to the conversations around AI and the future of Europe was deeply moving for me'.
Source: International Business Times UK
