Night Watch: From Power Couple to Legal Battle: Tech Billionaire Eric Schmidt

0:00This is Crime House. Four years, tech mogul Eric Schmidt kept a clean separation between business and pleasure. But everything changed when he met Michelle Ritter, a young entrepreneur with whom Eric became romantically and professionally intertwined. However, their relationship exploded into a vicious legal war over business, money and shocking claims of abuse. Now as a two-head toward a court date, the intimate details of their personal and financial co-dependence are being laid bare, revealing a battle for control and reputation. Let's get into it. We are learning that she has accused him of abuse and of stalking her. What was significant about this to us was the fact that this was appeared to be the first time that he had launched a major business venture with someone that he was recorded to

1:02have been dating. Imagine being worth $44 billion and still checking your ex's Instagram stories. Hi, I'm Katie Ring and this is Crime House Daily, your weekday true crime companion. We follow the cases making headlines now where justice is still unfolding. This is a Night Watch episode bringing you today's biggest crime stories. For a video, check out our YouTube channel at Crime House Daily and follow Night Watch on Spotify. This episode discusses active criminal cases and breaking news. The information we share is based on what's publicly available at the time of recording and may change as new evidence comes to light. We aim to inform not to decide guilt or innocence, so everyone mentioned is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The all new 2026 Toyota RAV4 is here and it builds on everything drivers know and love

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4:14Tonight's story is about a heated battle between one of Silicon Valley's most powerful men and his mistress. In 2020, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt began a relationship with Michelle Ritter, a young entrepreneur who was one of the brightest upcoming minds in tech. But this wasn't a situation where Eric was just investing in Michelle's companies because they were dating. He truly believed in her and they even owned businesses together. By the way, I hate when people say women sleep their way to the top because let's be realistic if this was true, women would be ruling the world. Eric and Michelle's personal and professional lives were completely intertwined so when the relationship fell apart their breakup wasn't as simple as going their separate ways. They owned businesses together, shared staff and lived across multiple homes under the same financial structure. At first, they tried to work things out privately to avoid a public legal fight. But that changed when Michelle came forward with a shocking claim.

5:16She said Eric tried to silence her from speaking out about abuse. From there, negotiations collapsed and now the two are headed toward a court day in December. To understand how they ended up here, we need to understand who Michelle is and who Eric is before everything got so complicated. Michelle Ritter is not just a billionaire's girlfriend. She graduated from Johns Hopkins in 2015 with a triple major in economics, international studies, and political science. After graduating, Michelle worked in research and national security, including positions at Stanford's Hoover Institution and the Department of Homeland Security. She then went on to earn a joint jurist, doctorate, and MBA from Columbia University. Around the same time, Michelle also branched out on her own and founded a couple of startups, including a blockchain sports investment platform and later a payments infrastructure company. Her sports company even signed a huge agreement with FIFA, so all to say Michelle was making

6:20big waves in business. And her career wasn't her only focus. In 2020, while 26-year-old Michelle was still a student at Columbia, actively founding multiple businesses, someone she knew from law school introduced her to 65-year-old Eric Schmidt, a big-time tech mogul. Eric was the CEO of Google from 2001 to 2011, before transitioning to executive chairman until 2017. She was extremely successful in those roles, and as of this recording, his net worth is estimated to be $48.8 billion. Despite their 39-year age gap, Michelle and Eric hit it off instantly and began dating. But they didn't go public with their relationship right away. It wasn't until July 11, 2021 that Michelle and Eric were seen in public as a couple for the first time. That day, they attended the launch of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic Rocketplane in New Mexico. And after going public, their lives became more intertwined from there.

7:25A few months later, in September 2021, Michelle and Eric launched their first joint venture, a startup accelerator called Steel Perlow, with offices in New York and LA. Michelle was named the founder and CEO of the company, but Eric was backing it financially. He initially invested at least $100 million in Steel Perlow, and took on the role of executive chairman. Eric wanted his investment money to help launch and invest in new companies under the startup accelerator's umbrella, and he said their mission was to be an AI and analytics company. That invested in a broad range of sectors, from virtual reality to space exploration. Eric and Michelle were shooting for the moon, and they wanted everyone to know it. They hosted a party at the Swinky Manhattan Club, Zero Bond, to announce the launch, and the news made a big splash. Not just because of their lofty aspirations, but because this was the first time Eric had

8:26gotten involved in business with one of his girlfriends. And people love to follow Eric's dating life, because his public dating history is almost as rich as he is. In fact, some people have even given Eric a salacious nickname. They call him Silicon Valley's most eligible, married bachelor. As someone who talks about crime every day, processing the things some people are capable of can get a little heavy, and having a therapist who I can talk to and who gives me extra support is incredibly helpful. On the other side of that, the root of most crimes I cover have to do with mental health, and making therapy and mental health support more accessible and affordable could have a significant impact. Rula does it differently. They partner with over 100 insurance plans and have a network of over 15,000 therapists in psychiatrist nationwide, enabling you to find your personalized solution and the

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11:31Ritter in 2020, he had been married for about 40 years. Although neither him or his wife had made an official statement about their marital arrangements, many sources close to the couple have said that they do have an open relationship, and he does not plan on ever leaving his wife. Regardless of their understanding, Eric is known for dating multiple women who are much younger than him. And these extra marital relationships have become so prolific and public that he earned the nickname Silicon Valley's most eligible, married, bachelor. He met his wife 65-year-old Wendy Boyle when they were both studying at UC Berkeley in 1980. Wendy has a master's degree in journalism and worked briefly at a tech company with Eric called Sun Microsystems before she became an interior designer. Independently, Wendy has a rich life. She took up competitive sailing at the age of 52 and spends a lot of her time at the

12:32Schmidt's waterfront compound in Nantucket, which is just one of her family's many luxurious residences, including houses in Miami and Montecito, a wealthy picturesque coastal town in Santa Barbara, California, one of my personal favorite places. Wendy is also the president of the Philanthropic Schmidt Family Foundation, where she oversees over $1 billion in assets. Wendy and Eric are a high-profile power couple. Together they often attend the Davos World Economic Forum, which is a prestigious Think Take in Switzerland that brings in global leaders from every sector. At the same time, they've been through a lot together. In 2017, one of their two daughters passed away after a long illness. Losing a child can be extremely hard on any marriage, but in the wake of tragedy, Wendy and Eric actually managed to stick by each other's sides. And many people credit that to them finding an arrangement that worked for them.

13:32They're alleged open relationship. What would be a fragile situation for many seemed relatively drama-free for Eric and Wendy. In 2019, Wendy even attended the World Economic Forum, while Eric's current mistress was also there. Eric and Wendy's arrangement suits them both, and she doesn't feel any need to discuss her husband's private relationships. Though the same can't be said for the media, the first time Eric's extra marital dating life became public knowledge was in 2010, when he was spotted with CNN reporter Kathy Bonner at Burning Man. He was still working at Google at the time and the public relationship surprised a lot of people. And although Eric and Kathy's relationship didn't last long, Eric started giving people plenty more to talk about. Public interest in Eric's dating life heated up in 2013, when he bought a $15 million duplex penthouse on West 21st Street in Manhattan. He specifically chose a building without a dormant

14:35to ensure that nobody would see who was coming in and out. Not only that, but he had the unit soundproofed for an extra layer of privacy. In case someone tried to listen in. Then in 2019, Eric started dating a medical grad student and fashionista, who was 32 years younger than him, named Alexandra Dusberg. Engagement rumors started flying when Eric gifted Alexandra a giant 10-karat pink sapphire ring. But Eric had no intention of leaving windy. In fact, a ring like that is a kind of gift he's given many of his mistresses over the years. Eric seemed to have a penchant for high achieving women, including fashion designers, PR executives, and concert pianists. But windy was and would always be his rock. Although these lines seem to get pretty blurry from his mistresses, I can't imagine getting a 10-karat pink sapphire not thinking there was anything else going on

15:36there. But Eric tries to maintain a clear distinction between his girlfriends and his wife. He brings windy to all of the high-level events and state visits, while his girlfriends accompany him to clubs and parties. Four years, this was his MO. But Michelle Ritter is a little bit different. She was the very first girlfriend Eric went into business with. However, even though Eric seemed to be making a very intentional move, it wasn't all smooth sailing. Pretty soon, their company Steel Perlow started hitting road bumps. The company quickly burned through cash, and by early 2023, Steel Perlow fell behind on payroll in operating expenses. They had to request emergency funds from Eric's wealth management firm just to keep the lights on. At the same time, the financial boundary between Steel Perlow and Eric's other company's grew increasingly blurry. For example, Michelle claimed that a major stealth AI initiative called Future House originated under Steel Perlow and its philanthropic arm.

16:42But two witnesses said that the project actually received only a small payment from Michelle, and that over $10 million came instead from Eric's other business entities. Meanwhile, some Steel Perlow staff were paid through a separate company called Autumn Management. Autumn Management, which is basically a household staffing company, was run by Michelle's father, and Eric hired them to help run his various properties. Michelle called Autumn Management a personal endeavor. But it actually operated under one of Eric's other businesses, meaning the money from Autumn used to pay people at Perlow was actually coming from Eric. The more intertwined Eric and Michelle become, the more people start to wonder who was really in charge at Steel Perlow. Eric insisted that it was Michelle's company, and that he was just there to offer a little guidance and support, and sit in meetings from time to time. But for Steel Perlow employees, that begs the question of why the company is struggling so much.

17:45After all, Eric had a long track record of running extremely successful tech companies. Shouldn't he be helping Michelle avoid these cash flow issues? Perhaps as a way to keep people happy, Michelle often hosted business meetings at the Bel Air Mansion, which is actually more like a compound. It has 13 bedrooms, well-tended gardens, including a coy pond, and old Hollywood touches, like the sweeping staircase and marble coffee table. Michelle lived there primarily, but she also bounced around between Eric's penthouse and Manhattan, and his $47 million sprawling lakeside estate near East Hampton. She was living a lavish lifestyle to say the least, which might be just one way she tried to maintain appearances. By late 2023, Michelle began telling employees and perspective investors that Steel Perlow had backing from major figures, like Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg, and Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds. Michelle and Eric did often attend parties with these people,

18:49but employees began to feel like the company's story wasn't matching reality. And when pressed, Michelle clarified these were discussions or letters of intent, not finalized investments. Steel Perlow managed to scrape by, but once the rumors about the company started, there was no stopping them. And in October 2023, Forbes started digging into their business and romantic relationship. And while they both declined to discuss their dating life, there were whispers that they were spending less time together. Neither of them publicly denied it, but Eric's spokesperson stated that his personal relationship with Michelle was separate from the success of Steel Perlow, and that he planned to continue supporting the company financially. But behind the scenes, things weren't going so smoothly. Michelle and Eric had not only been arguing over company operations and money in general, but Michelle's access to the beller mansion was also a point of contention. Though it wasn't publicly confirmed,

19:52it was starting to seem more and more like the couple had called it quits. But despite what was going on in their personal lives, they still wanted to keep their financial disputes out of the courtroom, so they entered legal mediation to try and resolve things. But by the spring of 2024, it became clear that they hadn't made any progress, and on April 4th of that year during a mediation session, one of Eric's lawyers drops a bombshell. With the Venmo debit card, a taco in one hand, and ordering a ride in the other means you're stacking your rewards. Nice! Get up to 5% cash back with Venmo stash on your favorite brands when you pay with your Venmo debit card. Pick a bundle with your go-to's and start earning cash back. Do more stash, get more cash. Visit Venmo.com to learn more. Venmo stash bundle terms and exclusion supply see terms at Venmo.ne slash stash terms max $100

20:56You've been there, settling in for an evening of TV only to waste half the night scrolling. Enter Fire TV. Entertainment with zero effort required. Fire TV serves up personalized recommendations from across all your apps. Not sure what to watch? Just tell Alexa Plus what you're in the mood for and she'll pull up the perfect recommendation. Problem solved! Stop the scroll, start the show. Find what you're looking for with Fire TV. Subscriptions may be required. High listeners, it's Vanessa Richardson. I wanted to take a brief moment to tell you about another show from Crime House that I know you'll love. America's most infamous crimes, hosted by Katie Ring. Each week, Katie takes on a notorious crime, whether unfolding now or etched into American history, revealing not just what happened, but how it forever changed our society. Serial killers who terrorized cities, unsolved mysteries that keep detectives up at night,

21:57and investigations that changed the way we think about justice. Each case unfolds across multiple episodes, released every Tuesday through Thursday. From the first sign that something was wrong, the truth came out or didn't. These are the stories behind the headlines. Listen to and follow America's most infamous crimes Tuesday through Thursday on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. In the spring of 2024, Michelle and Eric were in the middle of arbitration. At first, it seemed like proceedings were going well, but then Eric's lawyers make a surprising move. One that opened up a ton of questions about what was really going on between the tech mogul and his mistress. Eric's lawyer said that they would refuse to settle unless Michelle promised that she wouldn't make any allegations of abuse or harassment. And Michelle's lawyers refused,

23:02which sparked immediate retaliation from Eric. The same month Michelle was pushed out of one of her other companies. And over the next few weeks, Eric locked Michelle out of almost all of the residences she had access to. Without even giving her any time to move her things out beforehand, which meant she no longer had access to several personal and business-related items. As of this recording, Michelle still hasn't gotten any of her things back. Then in May 2024, Eric seemed to send a message to the world about his relationship status with Michelle when he attended a party with Wendy instead of her. Remember, Eric normally brings Wendy to the most high-profile events and saves the parties for his girlfriends. But not this time. People are so shocked, Eric and Wendy's outing even makes the news. After that, Michelle seems ready to put her in Eric's romance in the past. She's retained access to the Bel Air mansion, but in late 2024, she moved all of her things out.

24:08She got her own apartment in Beverly Hills, located above a Jersey Mike sandwich shop. Now that they had more physical space, it seems like Michelle and Eric might be able to settle their differences for good. In December 2024, they came to a written settlement agreement that requires Eric to make substantial payments to Michelle. The exact details of that contract have remained sealed, but the peace between them didn't last long. After signing the agreement, Eric did something completely unexpected. He locked Michelle out of the steal per low website. Michelle was devastated. In her eyes, Eric had taken something that belonged to her. And unfortunately, this wasn't the end of the turmoil. On December 9, 2024, Michelle's parents went out to dinner together in LA. Remember, Michelle's dad manages one of Eric's companies autumn management. If the two men had any disputes, they'd kept it under wraps. Until that night,

25:10when Eric made a bizarre move and had two private investigators follow Michelle's parents to and from dinner. Her parents realized what was happening and called the police, but when officers arrived and confronted the PIs, they said that they were working private security detail for a billionaire. The incident seemed to end there. But afterward, Michelle felt violated, and she wasn't ready to give up her control or her side of the story. So two days later, on December 11, Michelle decided to make a big move, and she filed for a domestic violence restraining order. In the filing, she claimed that Eric was using his resources, connections, and digital access to monitor, isolate, and pressure her. She also says he attempted to force her into signing statements denying past abuse. The filing caused a huge splash, and even more media attention swelled on January 6, 2025, when Michelle later withdrew the filing

26:13after she and Eric reached an agreement. However, after several months, Michelle then claimed that Eric hadn't been living up to his end of the agreement. So in September 2025, Michelle refiled and sued Eric, this time representing herself. At the same time, Eric took legal action against Michelle for a $75,000 court fee that was part of their arbitration proceedings. She said that she can't afford to pay it, but that it was also Eric's way of trying to silence her through financial domination. But the hits kept on coming. On October 8, Eric's lawyer submitted an 82-page response to Michelle's restraining order. They said her accusations were obviously false and an abuse of the judicial system. At the same time, they filed a motion to seal the court documents. As of this recording, there hasn't been a final ruling on the matter. Many details of this case and the history between Michelle and Eric still remain unknown.

27:18The next court hearing will take place on December 4, 2025. As of this recording, Eric and his wife are still together, with one source saying that they just saw him and Wendy after they met with the Prince of Saudi Arabia together. Meanwhile, Michelle has stayed quiet as all of this plays out. But judging on what we know so far, the fireworks won't be ending anytime soon. And as always, we'll be sure to bring you all of the major updates. What did you think of tonight's case? Drop your thoughts and theories in the comments. See you next time. Elise Eden, part of Azure Standard, was created for people who care about being thoughtful with what

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