Steve Ballmer

American businessman, former chief executive officer of Microsoft

  • Fame64.2
  • Momentum10.7
  • Founders rank#76
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Source-basedFalling
  • Fame64.2
  • Momentum10.7
  • Founders rank#76
  • Wikipedia70.6K
Born 1956 · age 70United States

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  • Wikipedia
    62 languages
    Cross-language footprint
  • Age
    70
    Born 1956
  • Known for
    Surplus: Terrorized In…
    2003
Summary
Updated 2026-06-25

He steered Microsoft through its most profitable years and its deepest irrelevance, then spent a fortune to prove he could own a basketball team better than the last guy.

Biography

About

Born March 24, 1956, Steven Anthony Ballmer dropped out of Stanford's MBA program in 1980 when Bill Gates hired him at Microsoft. He climbed to president in 1998 and took over as CEO on January 13, 2000. Over the next fourteen years he tripled sales and doubled profits while the company lost its grip on the future—missing the smartphone revolution that iPhone and Android owned. He retired February 4, 2014, replaced by Satya Nadella, and left the board that August. He bought the Los Angeles Clippers and co-founded the Ballmer Group, a philanthropic investment firm. His willingness to pay for su…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Steve Ballmer

Steve Ballmer
said
Linux is not in the public domain. Linux is a cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches. That's the way that the license works.
"Microsoft CEO takes launch break with the Sun-Times" (1 June 2001) Chicago Sun Times
Steve Ballmer
said
Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Come on! Get up, get up! Come on! Come on, give it up for me! Whoo! Whoo! Come on! Who said 'sit down'? I have four words for you. I. Love. This. Company. Yes!
25th Anniversary Event of Microsoft at Seattle (5 September 2000).
Steve Ballmer
said
When we tell the story about what's happening today with browsers ten years from now, I want the thing that replaces Windows to be Windows.
Interview by CNET (May 1996)
Steve Ballmer
said
Now how much do you think Microsoft Windows is worth? Don't answer!
Steve Ballmer introduces Windows 1.0 (1986)
Steve Ballmer
saidundated
I think it would be absolutely reckless and irresponsible for anyone to try and break up Microsoft.
cite web
Deep cuts

Net worth

Low confidence
$156.9Bestimated · 2026
202%vs 2019
$24.8B2016$33.8B*2017*$42.9B*2018*$51.9B2019$66.9B*2020*$81.9B*2021*$96.9B*2022*$111.9B*2023*$126.9B*2024*$141.9B*2025*$156.9B2026
Forbes* estimated (interpolated between sourced years)

Figures are rough estimates and may be inaccurate. Not financial advice.

By the numbers

Score breakdown

The six component signals behind the Fame score, and their ranks across the leaderboards.

Fame
Falling
64.2
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Momentum10.7
Historical26.5
Now attention30.8
Source confidence75.0
Completeness85.0
Global rank
Country rank
Category rank
#76
Receipts

Sources

  • Wikipedia
    wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
    High confidence
  • Wikidata
    wikidata · wikidata.org
    High confidence
  • Pantheon 2.0
    database · pantheon.world
    High confidence