{
  "id": 33982,
  "title": "Christian Lindner: \"My freedom includes being in love with doing things\"",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/christian-lindner-zu-meiner-freiheit-gehort-eben-dass-ich-ins-machen",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-02T05:26:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/mittelstand/familienunternehmer/christian-lindner-zu-meiner-freiheit-gehoert-dass-ich-ins-machen-verliebt-bin/100207915.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "On stage in Rottach-Egern, Christian Lindner intended to discuss his new job: March was mid-year, and since the beginning of the year, he has been Vice President of Autoland, one of the largest independent car dealerships in the Republic. However, at the \"Entrepreneur's Day Tegernsee,\" a prestigious networking event, he was primarily asked about his past: the collapsed Alliance Party, the struggling FDP, and his tenure as Finance Minister. Wearing a beige jacket, a white shirt, and black sneakers, Lindner tries to erase the past and instead focuses on the company he wants to digitalize and modernize: a business with 1,500 employees, over a billion euros in revenue, 38 branches, and a headquarters in Saxony-Anhalt. The move to Brehna from Berlin has been a significant transition. The Vorstandsbüro (boardroom) has replaced the Finance Ministry. Lindner has become an entrepreneur rather than a politician. How did he achieve this shift? The Handelsblatt observed Lindner in recent months, visited his new headquarters in eastern Germany, and heard from former colleagues. The result is a portrait of a man who still values his public image and who is constantly drawn back to his past. He does not intend to return.",
  "summary": "For more than half a year, the former Minister of Finance has been deputy head of Autoland. Handelsblatt has been following him. How is Christian Lindner doing in his new job?",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Handelsblatt",
        "title": "Christian Lindner: \"I'm not the type who just talks about it his whole life\"",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/christian-lindner-ich-bin-nicht-der-typ-der-sein-ganzes-leben-nur",
        "published": "2026-08-02T05:26:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}