Steve Ballmer

Steve Ballmer
Ballmer in 2014
Born
Steven Anthony Ballmer

(1956-03-24) March 24, 1956 (age 68)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Education
Occupations
Known forFormer CEO of Microsoft
Co-founder of Ballmer Group
Owner of the Los Angeles Clippers
Spouse
Connie Snyder
​
(m. 1990)​
Children3
Signature

Steven Anthony Ballmer (/ˈbɔːlmər/; March 24, 1956) is an American businessman and investor who served as chief executive officer of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014.[1] He is the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a co-founder of Ballmer Group, a philanthropic investment company.[2]

As of November 2024, Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimates his personal wealth at around $145 billion, making him the tenth-richest person in the world.[3] At the same time Forbes ranks him as the eighth-richest person with a net worth of $123 billion.[4]

Ballmer was hired by Bill Gates at Microsoft in 1980, and subsequently left the MBA program at Stanford University. He eventually became president in 1998, and replaced Gates as CEO on January 13, 2000.[5][6] On February 4, 2014, Ballmer retired as CEO and was replaced by Satya Nadella; Ballmer remained on Microsoft's board of directors until August 19, 2014.[7][8]

Under Ballmer's leadership, a 14-year period, the company tripled sales and doubled profits, but lost its market dominance and missed out on 21st-century technology trends such as the ascendance of smartphones in the forms of iPhone and Android.[9][10][11]

Players and sportswriters generally consider Ballmer's ownership of the Clippers as an improvement over previous owner Donald Sterling, citing his willingness to acquire superstar players and finance the construction of Intuit Dome.[12][13]

  1. ^ "Steve Ballmer Fast Facts". CNN. March 11, 2015. Archived from the original on February 6, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  2. ^ Greif, Andrew (July 8, 2020). "Steve Ballmer is putting his billions behind bigger causes in L.A. than the Clippers". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  3. ^ "Bloomberg Billionaires Index: Steve Ballmer". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  4. ^ "The world's real-time billionares". Forbes. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  5. ^ "Steve Ballmer: Chief Executive Officer". Microsoft. March 1, 2005. Archived from the original on February 3, 2008.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to retire within 12 months". Microsoft. August 23, 2013. Archived from the original on August 24, 2013.
  8. ^ "Microsoft Board names Satya Nadella as CEO". Microsoft. February 4, 2014. Archived from the original on February 4, 2014.
  9. ^ "Why Tim Cook is Steve Ballmer". October 26, 2016. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  10. ^ Eichenwald, Kurt (July 24, 2012). "How Microsoft Lost Its Mojo: Steve Ballmer and Corporate America's Most Spectacular Decline". The Hive. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  11. ^ Rigby, Bill (August 23, 2013). "Steve Ballmer ends run as Microsoft's relentless salesman". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  12. ^ Vorkunov, Mike. "Ranking NBA's best and worst owners: Why Steve Ballmer went No. 1". Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  13. ^ "The Boss | by Blake Griffin". October 17, 2014.