Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt Spotted With 27-Year-Old Tech Entrepreneur: Report

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt would have been just another celebrity who went to New Mexico to see off Richard Branson to space, but for his younger companion.

The 66-year-old married businessman was accompanied by 27-year-old Michelle Ritter as he watched Virgin Galactic spacecraft, V.S.S. Unity, blast off into space, reported Page Six.

Schmidt, who is reportedly worth $22.1 billion, is in an open relationship with his wife of 40-plus years, Wendy.

Schmidt had been linked with TV presenter Kate Bohner, PR executive Marcy Simon, pianist Cho-San Nguyen and Council on Foreign Relations communications VP Lisa Shields. Schmidt has also been associated with socialite Ulla Parker, ex-wife of Wall Street veteran Kevin Parker, who runs Sustainable Insight Capital Management.

During the onset of the pandemic in 2020, the tech titan reportedly rekindled his relationship with Alexandra Duisberg, a former figure skater and a doctor. Duisberg had sparked rumors of an engagement with Schmidt in 2019 when she was spotted wearing a multi-million dollar pink sapphire ring. According to Page Six, Duisberg and Schmidt started to spend time together during the quarantine. However, a source told the magazine that Schmidt had not seen Duisberg in over a year.

Schmidt's latest interest, Ritter, leads a management company focused on “deep tech.” She has also founded a set of financial trading platforms, according to Page Six. She holds a degree in economics, international studies, and political science from Johns Hopkins University, according to her online bio.

She has worked as a cyber research associate at Stanford for the Department of Homeland Security. She has been a researcher for the Government of Afghanistan’s Researcher for the Institute for State Effectiveness.

On Sunday, Schmidt and Ritter joined Elon Musk, who has booked a seat on Branson’s Virgin Galactic spacecraft’s future flight, Stephen Colbert and singer-songwriter Khalid to see Branson’s spaceflight launch. Guests at the event reportedly celebrated the successful flight with champagne. Branson later tweeted, “There are no words to describe the feeling. This is space travel. This is a dream turned reality.”