Steve Ballmer
Born 1956 · Age 69
American businessman and investor; Microsoft CEO (2000–2014), owner of the LA Clippers, co-founder of Ballmer Group and USAFacts.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Detroit, Michigan
Steven Anthony Ballmer was born to Beatrice Dworkin and Frederic (Fritz Hans) Ballmer in Detroit.
Lived in Brussels (began)
Ballmer moved to Brussels and later attended the International School of Brussels (period 1964–1967).
Returned from Brussels (approx.)
Completed period living in Brussels (1964–1967) and returned to the U.S.; attended International School of Brussels during stay.
Attended Lawrence Technological University classes
Took college-prep and engineering classes at Lawrence Technological University while in high school.
Graduated Detroit Country Day School (valedictorian)
Graduated as valedictorian; scored 790 on the SAT math section and was a National Merit Scholar.
Matriculated at Harvard University
Began undergraduate studies at Harvard; roommate/proximity with Bill Gates, active in Harvard Crimson, Harvard Advocate and was manager for football.
Graduated Harvard magna cum laude
Received a BA in applied mathematics and economics; placed highly in the Putnam competition (scored higher than Bill Gates).
Joined Procter & Gamble as assistant product manager
Worked two years as an assistant product manager (Duncan Hines Moist & Easy cakes and brownies); shared an office with Jeff Immelt.
Briefly pursued screenwriting in Hollywood
Left P&G to briefly try writing screenplays in Hollywood prior to business school.
Enrolled at Stanford Graduate School of Business (MBA, left)
Entered Stanford GSB for an MBA (class included Mukesh Ambani), but dropped out to join Microsoft in 1980.
Hired by Microsoft as 30th employee
Joined Microsoft on June 11, 1980 as Bill Gates' first business manager. Compensation: $50,000 salary plus 10% of profits he generated and no initial equity.
Microsoft incorporated; Ballmer awarded 8% stake
When Microsoft reorganized as a corporation, Ballmer received an 8% ownership stake (arrangement agreed between Gates, Allen and Marquardt).
Produced internal parody promo for Windows 1.0
Early viral-style internal video promoting Windows 1.0 (parody of Crazy Eddie), later circulated widely.
Microsoft IPO
Microsoft went public (March 1986), dramatically increasing value of early employees' equity.
Married Connie Snyder
Ballmer married Connie Snyder in 1990; the couple later had three sons and have been philanthropic partners.
Promoted to Executive Vice President, Sales & Support
In February 1992 Ballmer became Executive VP for Sales and Support, overseeing Microsoft's global salesforce and support operations.
Promoted to President of Microsoft
In July 1998 Ballmer became President of Microsoft, effectively the company's #2 executive under Bill Gates.
Company fighting major antitrust lawsuits
When Ballmer became CEO, Microsoft was defending the U.S. government and 20 states in an antitrust action and related class-action suits.
25th-anniversary rally viral stage entrance
At Microsoft's 25th anniversary event in September 2000 Ballmer's energetic stage entrance (including 'I love this company!') became a widely circulated viral video.
Named Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft
Ballmer officially replaced Bill Gates as CEO of Microsoft on January 13, 2000; Gates remained chairman and chief software architect.
Xbox console launched (company milestone)
Microsoft released its original Xbox game console (2001) — a key diversification into entertainment and devices.
Director and general partner at Accenture SCA (role began)
Ballmer served as a director of Accenture and general partner of Accenture SCA from 2001 to 2006.
Shed title of President
Ballmer shed the formal title of president in February 2001 while remaining CEO.
Replaced Microsoft's employee stock options program
Ballmer replaced Microsoft's employee stock option program in 2003 (concurrent with his share sale and ownership change).
Sold 39.3M Microsoft shares for ~$955M; ownership reduced to ~4%
In 2003 Ballmer sold 39.3 million shares for about $955 million, reducing his stake to roughly 4% and replaced Microsoft employee stock option program the same year.
Alleged confrontation when an exec left for Google (affidavit)
Affidavit by Mark Lucovsky alleges Ballmer angrily reacted and threw a chair after being told Lucovsky was leaving for Google around 2004; Ballmer called the account an exaggeration.
Public critique of iPhone market prospects (noted quote)
In 2007 and earlier Ballmer publicly dismissed the iPhone's prospects (famous quote: 'There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share'), later acknowledging he underestimated carrier subsidy model.
Recruited B. Kevin Turner as Chief Operating Officer
Ballmer hired B. Kevin Turner (from Walmart/Sam's Club) in 2005 to be Microsoft's COO to impose discipline on sales and operations.
Zune portable media players introduced
Microsoft introduced the Zune family of portable media players (2006) — a consumer hardware effort that failed to displace Apple's iPod.
Bill Gates steps down as chief software architect
Gates stepped down in 2006, giving Ballmer greater autonomy over management and technology direction.
Spoke at MIX 2008 and other major developer events
Regular high-profile speaking appearances continued (e.g., MIX 2008), often characterized by energetic stage presence.
Bing search engine launched (company milestone)
Microsoft entered the search market with Bing in 2009 and later brokered deals (e.g., Yahoo) to expand search/ad reach.
Delivered opening keynote at CES
In 2009 Ballmer delivered the opening keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show — the first Microsoft opening keynote since Gates' era.
Acquired Skype for approximately $8.5 billion
Microsoft completed its largest acquisition at the time — Skype — for about $8.5B, expanding communications offerings.
Investor in attempt to return NBA SuperSonics to Seattle
In June 2012 Ballmer invested in Chris R. Hansen's plan to build a new arena (SoDo) and bring the SuperSonics back; plan did not succeed.
Unveiled Microsoft Surface tablet
On June 19, 2012 Ballmer revealed Microsoft's Surface tablet — the company's first major consumer hardware tablet product.
Attempted purchase of Sacramento Kings to move to Seattle
On January 9, 2013 Ballmer led a group to try to buy the Sacramento Kings for an estimated $650M and relocate them — the bid failed.
Announced intention to sell Nokia Devices (acquisition by Microsoft)
In September 2013 Microsoft announced purchase of Nokia's mobile phone division (Ballmer led acquisition efforts as CEO).
Announced plan to retire within 12 months
On August 23, 2013 Microsoft announced Ballmer would retire as CEO within the next 12 months and a special committee (including Gates) would pick a successor.
Hosted last company meeting as CEO
Ballmer hosted his final company-wide meeting in September 2013 as part of the transition out of the CEO role.
Stepped down as CEO; Satya Nadella named successor
On February 4, 2014 Satya Nadella succeeded Ballmer as Microsoft CEO; Ballmer remained on the board for a short period afterward.
Announced purchase of Los Angeles Clippers for ~$2 billion
Following the Donald Sterling scandal, Ballmer was the winning bidder and announcement on August 12, 2014 said he would buy the Clippers for about $2B.
Resigned from Microsoft's board of directors
Ballmer left Microsoft's board on August 19, 2014, completing his formal corporate role at Microsoft.
Vanity Fair profile notes drift with Bill Gates
An October 2014 Vanity Fair profile reported Ballmer and Bill Gates no longer spoke following Ballmer's resignation, marking a shift in their relationship.
Donated $50 million to University of Oregon
Ballmer and his wife Connie donated $50M to University of Oregon to support scholarships, public health research and branding.
Announced gift of ~ $60M to Harvard computer science department
Ballmer pledged an estimated $60M to Harvard's computer science department to hire faculty and raise the program's profile; he had earlier given $10M in 1994 (with Gates).
IRS subpoena litigation involvement
Seattle Times reported IRS sued to compel Ballmer and other former Microsoft execs to testify in a corporate tax audit over transfer pricing practices.
Co-founded Ballmer Group
Ballmer and his wife Connie co-founded Ballmer Group, a philanthropic investment company focused on economic mobility for children from low-income families; presence in WA, LA and Detroit.
Public statement: relationship with Gates 'drifted apart'
In November 2016 Ballmer said he and Gates 'drifted apart' after his departure and cited disagreements over hardware strategy (smartphones) as a factor.
Launched USAFacts (nonprofit civic data site)
Ballmer founded USAFacts to compile and publish official U.S. government data; initially funded with about $10M to populate the database.
Agreed to buy The Forum in Inglewood
In March 2020 Ballmer agreed to buy The Forum, enabling plans to build the Intuit Dome and new Clippers arena in nearby Inglewood.
Voted best NBA owner in survey by The Athletic
In December 2020 a survey by The Athletic ranked Ballmer the best owner in basketball.
ProPublica report on tax strategies
ProPublica documented Ballmer's use of sports team ownership and other strategies to reduce federal income taxes to low effective rates.
Donated $425 million to the University of Oregon
Ballmer donated $425M to fund a new institute for children's behavioral health at the University of Oregon.
ProPublica report on 'wash sales' tax strategy
ProPublica reported Ballmer used wash sales and advisory services (including Goldman Sachs) to harvest losses and save over half a billion dollars in taxes over five years.
Set to collect ~$1 billion in dividends (report)
CNN reported Ballmer was set to collect roughly $1B in dividends after Microsoft increased its dividend to $3 per share (report dated Dec 24, 2014 and analysis cited Dec 27, 2023).
Spoke about Intuit Dome and All-Star 2026 plans
In 2024 Ballmer discussed progress on the Intuit Dome and hosting the 2026 NBA All-Star Game (Forbes interviews/coverage).
Owned 10 properties near Coupeville (reported)
As of 2024 the Ballmers owned multiple Seattle-area homes and a total of 10 properties near Coupeville, Washington.
Formed Halo Sports and Entertainment (brand umbrella)
Ballmer launched 'Halo Sports and Entertainment' to house his sports and entertainment entities including the Clippers and Intuit Dome plans (reported Feb 2024).
Reported Forbes net worth snapshot (2024)
Investopedia/Forbes coverage noted Ballmer's net worth exceeded $157B in July 2024 (momentarily surpassing Bill Gates in billionaire rankings).
Invested $59M in Social Solutions (reported 2018; referenced later)
Investopedia noted Ballmer invested $59M in Social Solutions (software for nonprofits/government agencies) — included here as a notable investment referenced in his broader profile.
Bloomberg/Forbes net worth snapshot (Mar 5, 2025)
As of March 5, 2025 Bloomberg estimated Ballmer's wealth at ~$136B and Forbes at ~$117.8B (two widely-cited indexes with differing figures).
Bloomberg/Forbes net worth snapshot (May 2025)
As of May 2025 Bloomberg estimated his wealth at ~$151B (8th richest) and Forbes Real-Time ranked him ~9th with ~$118B — indexes differ substantially.
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