From the Editor
  • Steve Ballmer is the high-wattage former CEO of Microsoft, who led the company from 2000 to 2014.
  • He joined Microsoft in 1980 as employee No. 30 after dropping out of Stanford's MBA program.
  • Ballmer oversaw Microsoft after the first dot-com crash and through efforts to catch up to Google in search capabilities and Apple in mobile phones.
  • The same year he retired from Microsoft he bought the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers for $2 billion; Forbes now values the team at $4.65 billion.
  • He has ramped up his philanthropy since 2014; to date the Ballmers have given away more than $4 billion.
  • In 2022, he and his wife Connie committed $425 million to the University of Oregon for an institute to address the behavioral and mental health needs of children in the state.
Wealth History
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Personal Stats
Age
68
Source of Wealth
Microsoft, Self Made
Self-Made Score
6
Philanthropy Score
2
Residence
Hunts Point, Washington
Citizenship
United States
Marital Status
Married
Children
3
Education
Bachelor of Arts/Science, Harvard University; Drop Out, Stanford University
Did you know
Ballmer and Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates were classmates at Harvard.
Ballmer created a website called USAFacts.org for people to look up and understand where the government is spending money.
In Their Own Words

Computer science is the operating system for all innovation.

Steve Ballmer
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