Europe’s Young Contender Sharpens Brand for Life After Merkel
He spent his 20s rising to power in Austria. Now Sebastian Kurz is heading into the next phase of his project.
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When Sebastian Kurz was an aspiring politician barely out of his teens, Austrian establishment grandees offered him some wise words: If you want to make it to the top, remember you’re always in the public eye. He took the advice.
“While others were partying until the morning light, Sebastian always knew when it was enough,” said Philipp Depisch, 39, an ally of Kurz from the early 2000s. “When we went to the bar, he organized a round of drinks for everyone and stayed for a while, but at some point he would get up and go to bed.”