[banish-m4]

I don't understand marital instability when you're rich and live in a community property state. Either stay married because there's way too much to lose or stay single, but to philander and divorce is just economic suicide.

https://archive.ph/KdJpa

[alright2565]

This isn't even about the wife--this is about a deal with a former mistress to keep quiet by offering her a token job as an investor at one of his companies.

She doesn't get the memo that she isn't actually supposed to do anything and suggests poorly substantiated investments and potentially does a little fraud... exhausting just reading about it, I'm not sure why I bothered.

There's no real takeaways here except he should just keep it in his pants. Definitely nothing worthwhile for this audience.

[saulpw]

> potentially does a little fraud

It was a lot to read through, and I don't know why we (or the NYTimes) should care, but it sure doesn't seem like "potential" fraud, and it was only "a little" because Eric Schmidt is a billionaire. She totally tried to pull a fast one (registering a company with the same name in a different state to get shares that were his to be transferred to hers). ESH here but the legal system will not look kindly on that bit of subterfuge.

[Spooky23]

The wife is paid off and fine. The problem is the troublesome girlfriends.

When there’s lots of money and ego at stake, people live their lives differently. Divorce brings acrimony and risk. The guy wants to be a playboy to fulfill whatever need he has, and seems to fritter around and make unwise choices. The spouse gets the prestige and status of being attached to the VIP, and may have her own dalliances.

High level operating people with money or power can afford to live seemingly bizarre lives. They’re just people with the same issues as everybody else, but the cash or influence allows them to make different choices, and for men think with their dick when they aren’t doing business - it’s pretty common.

[banish-m4]

Most people voluntarily imprison themselves in conventional, middle-class values because they have been brainwashed.

[KennyBlanken]

Yeah, it's absurd to think that someone who probably makes roughly half a billion per year in income off his investments alone, cares about half of his net worth walking out the door.

[gumby]

Splitting your assets in half, especially when you’re really rich, is hardly “economic suicide”

[banish-m4]

Okay, chief, you know it all. Liquidating assets causes significant losses.

[toomuchtodo]

Ego and hubris are not dissuaded by consequences.

[banish-m4]

That's what doesn't compute. The wisdom and care required to have and keep billions requires a certain pathological, insouciant public face or internal armor. Sure sexual thrills and "love" makes most people dumber, but a big boy billionaire baller ought to have a certain de rigeuer self-control to not catch the wrong sort of complications or perhaps they should've had a discreet open relationship arrangement a priori.

[throw7]

What is there to understand? The world is their oyster.

[refurb]

CEOs often exhibit the dark triad of psychopathy which means the dude doesn’t give a crap about consequences as long as he gets what he wants.

He also seems like he has terrible taste in women considering the numerous litigations with exes.

[bamboozled]

I'd imagine someone like Schmidt is a sociopath, you don't get to where he is just be being a regular "nice guy". I'm not saying he is necessarily evil, but I think it's hard for normal people to relate to people like this. Obviously risk taking is part of a lot of these types profile.