It's been around seven months since Sebastian Kurz had to turn his back on politics.
After extensive corruption investigations against him and his party, the pressure had become too great at the beginning of December 2021, and the chancellor at the time resigned from all political offices.
In the meantime, the politician, long regarded as the boy wonder of European conservatives, has broken new ground in the private sector.
He joined the tech company of the German-American investor Peter Thiel as a consultant.
And he now wants to set up his own company – together with a former major donor to the ÖVP.
Kurz' controversial business practices
In this episode of Inside Austria we take a look at Sebastian Kurz after his time as a politician.
We take a close look at his new business partners and their political involvement.
We ask how problematic it is in general for politicians to switch to the private sector quickly.
And we talk about what Sebastian Kurz plans to do in the long term.
In the weekly podcast “Inside Austria”, SPIEGEL and STANDARD look together at the big and small scandals in Austria.
Together with journalists from both editorial offices, we reconstruct cases and events that move the country.
We look into political abysses, follow the investigations into the cause of Sebastian Kurz and his ÖVP.
And inform about an important Austrian topic of the week.