Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is facing explosive accusations from a woman who’s nearly four decades younger than him. Michelle Ritter, a 31-year-old tech entrepreneur who once dated Schmidt, has filed a lawsuit alleging stalking, harassment, and abuse.
Schmidt Is A Billionaire With A Few Secrets
Eric Schmidt, Google – Former CEO of Google and Chair of the Special Competitive Studies Project, left, arrives for the start of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senators Rounds, Heinrich And Young hosting the Inaugural Artificial Intelligence Insight Forum With Key AI Stakeholders To Help Forge Bipartisan Consensus On Legislation To Capitalize On This Transformative Technology in Washington on Sept. 13, 2023.
Schmidt, 79, who helped transform Google from a promising search engine into a trillion-dollar empire during his tenure from 2001 to 2017, is the 44th richest person in the world, with a net worth around $45 billion, according to Bloomberg. He’s also been married to his wife, Wendy Schmidt, since 1980. But reports suggest their marriage has long been open, and Schmidt’s reputation for dating younger women has followed him for years.
Never Mix Business With Pleasure
IMAGN
Ritter met Schmidt in 2021 while studying law at Columbia. By 2023, Schmidt had reportedly invested $100 million into her artificial intelligence startup, placing Ritter — then just 29 — at the head of a company backed by one of Silicon Valley’s most recognizable names. But their romantic and business partnership fell apart by late 2024, and what followed has spiraled into a public legal feud filled with deeply personal accusations.
Ritter Claims That Schmidt Had Her Under Surveillance
Ritter filed a restraining order against Schmidt in December 2024 in Los Angeles County. She claimed that he “used his capital to extort and harass” her before describing a campaign of surveillance and intimidation that went all the way up to her parents. She accused Schmidt of hiring private investigators to follow her and her family and of stealing intellectual property tied to her company. “The extent of emotional harm to me is enormous,” Ritter wrote, calling the alleged cyberstalking and theft “daunting.” She even sought legal protection for her German Shepherd, Henry.
Schmidt Allegedly Broke Their Settlement
The restraining order was withdrawn less than two weeks later. Reports suggest the two reached a private agreement that Ritter now says Schmidt failed to honor. In new filings, she accused the billionaire of breaking their settlement by continuing his campaign of harassment. Schmidt, through his legal team, has denied all wrongdoing, calling her lawsuit an “abuse of the justice system.” Ritter alleges Schmidt demanded she sign a gag order denying any sexual harassment or assault. Her lawyers have framed his behavior as “toxic masculinity,” and a part of a broader pattern of control. The case is expected to be heard in December.
