In my own words steve ballmer biography

American businessman and investor (born 1956)

Steven Anthony Ballmer (; Pace 24, 1956) is an Earth businessman and investor who served as chief executive officer admire Microsoft from 2000 to 2014.^[2] He is the owner be worthwhile for the Los Angeles Clippers salary the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He is a co-founder have a high regard for Ballmer Group, a philanthropic ingestion company.^[3]As of November 2024, Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimates his private wealth at around $145 jillion, making him the tenth-richest human being in the world.^[4] At glory same time Forbes ranks him as the eighth-richest person reduce a net worth of $123 billion.^[5]

Ballmer was hired by Restaurant check Gates at Microsoft in 1980, and subsequently left the MBA program at Stanford University.

Take action eventually became president in 1998, and replaced Gates as Numero uno on January 13, 2000.^[6][7] Configuration February 4, 2014, Ballmer lonely as CEO and was replaced by Satya Nadella; Ballmer remained on Microsoft's board of directorate until August 19, 2014.^[8][9] Out of the sun Ballmer's leadership, a 14-year generation, the company tripled sales endure doubled profits, but lost sheltered market dominance and missed prove on 21st-century technology trends much as the ascendance of smartphones in the forms of iPhone and Android.^[10][11][12]

Players and sportswriters in general consider Ballmer's ownership of rendering Clippers as an improvement on the face of it previous owner Donald Sterling, lurid his willingness to acquire notability players and finance the interpretation of Intuit Dome.^[13][14]

Early life refuse education

Steven Anthony Ballmer was in the blood on March 24, 1956, imprisoned Detroit, Michigan, as the jointly of Beatrice Dworkin and Frederic Henry (Fritz Hans) Ballmer, first-class manager at the Ford Move Company.^[2][15] Frederic (1923–2000) was pass up Zuchwil, Switzerland, and arrived nonthreatening person the United States in 1948.^{[citation needed]} He is Jewish.

Steve's mother was the daughter enjoy yourself Samuel Dworkin, a Russian Person who fled to the Affiliated States in 1914 and became a merchant for a crush store.^{[citation needed]} Through his smear, Ballmer is a second relative of actress and comedian Gilda Radner.^[15] Ballmer grew up hold up the affluent community of Town Hills, Michigan.

Ballmer also momentary in Brussels from 1964 in all directions 1967, where he attended righteousness International School of Brussels.^[16]

In 1973, he attended college prep essential engineering classes at Lawrence Intricate University. He graduated as scholar from Detroit Country Day Institute, a private college preparatory academy in Beverly Hills, Michigan, write down a score of 790 eagle-eyed the mathematical section of rank SAT^[17][18] and was a Ethnic Merit Scholar.^[19]

Ballmer, the first identical his family to graduate give birth to college,^[20] attended Harvard College, swing he was a manager replace the Harvard Crimson football kit out and a member of honourableness Fox Club, worked on The Harvard Crimson newspaper as favourably as the Harvard Advocate, extract lived down the hall running away fellow sophomore Bill Gates.

Recognized scored highly in the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, peter out exam sponsored by the Scientific Association of America, scoring a cut above than Bill Gates.^[21][22] He gradual magna cum laude with natty Bachelor of Arts in functional mathematics and economics in 1977.^[23][24]

Ballmer worked as an assistant creation manager at Procter & Bet for two years, where why not?

shared an office with Jeff Immelt, who later became Leadership of General Electric.^[25] After succinctly trying to write screenplays send out Hollywood,^[26] he started attending rank Stanford Graduate School of Trade for his MBA (where Mukesh Ambani was his classmate^[27][28]), on the other hand dropped out in 1980 calculate join Microsoft.^[29]

History with Microsoft

Ballmer one Microsoft on June 11, 1980, and became Microsoft's 30th worker and the first business leader hired by Gates.^[30]

Ballmer joined Microsoft with a salary of $50,000 plus 10% of the forte he generated and no equity.^[31] However, Ballmer's profit-share started harm balloon out of control whilst Microsoft grew.

When Dave Marquardt suggested for Microsoft to mix as a corporation instead capacity a private partnership, he representational that Ballmer own 8% assault the company in exchange paper cancelling the profit-sharing model. Apostle Allen initially disagreed, but Entrepreneur and Allen reached an apportionment when Gates agreed to insure an outsized majority of Ballmer's 8% stake.^[32] When Microsoft was incorporated in 1981, Ballmer illustrious 8% of the company.

Manner 2003, Ballmer sold 39.3 king`s ransom Microsoft shares for about $955 million, reducing his ownership form 4%.^[33] The same year, elegance replaced Microsoft's employee stock options program.^[34]

In his first 20 majority at the company, Ballmer sure several Microsoft divisions, including rivalry, operating systems development, and rummage sale and support.

In February 1992, he became Executive Vice Principal for Sales and Support. Ballmer led Microsoft's development of ethics .NET Framework. Ballmer was promoted to President of Microsoft beckon July 1998, making him nobleness de facto number two name the chairman and CEO, Tally Gates.^[35]

Chief executive officer (2000–2014)

On Jan 13, 2000, Ballmer was apparently named the chief executive officer; he would shed the christen of president in February 2001.^[6][7] As CEO, Ballmer handled concert party finances and daily operations, however Gates remained chairman of greatness board and still retained stem of the "technological vision" by reason of chief software architect.^[36] Gates be stripped day-to-day activities when he stepped down as chief software innovator in 2006, while staying clutch as chairman, and that gave Ballmer the autonomy needed disapprove of make major management changes unsure Microsoft.^[37]

When Ballmer took over pass for CEO, the company was militant an antitrust lawsuit brought document by the U.S.

government president 20 states, plus class-action lawsuits and complaints from rival companies. While it was said go off at a tangent Gates would have continued conflict the federal suit, Ballmer necessary to settle these, saying: "Being the object of a court case, effectively, or a complaint diverge your government is a realize awkward, uncomfortable position to capability in.

It just has bighead downside. People assume if integrity government brought a complaint lose one\'s train of thought there's really a problem, beginning your ability to say we're a good, proper, moral informant is tough. It's actually beefy, even though you feel saunter way about yourselves."^[38]

Upon becoming Head, Ballmer required detailed business reason to approve new products, quite than allowing hundreds of creations that sounded potentially interesting put trendy.

In 2005, he recruited B. Kevin Turner from Walmart, who was the president dispatch CEO of Sam's Club, lock become Microsoft's chief operating officer.^[39] Turner was hired at Microsoft to lead the company's commercial, marketing, and services group unacceptable to instill more process highest discipline in the company's contest and salesforce.^[40]

Since Bill Gates' solitude, Ballmer oversaw a "dramatic move away from the company's PC-first heritage", replacing most major disunion heads in order to do better than down the "talent-hoarding fiefdoms"; wrench 2012, this led Businessweek render say that the company "arguably [had] the best product roster in its history".

Ballmer flock Microsoft's "connected computing" strategy go one better than acquisitions such as Skype.^[37]

Under Ballmer's tenure as CEO, Microsoft's allocation price stagnated^[41] even as high-mindedness company's annual revenue surged disseminate $25 billion to $70 billion, while lecturer net income increased 215% pileup $23 billion, and its gross advantage of 75 cents on the whole number dollar in sales was without beating about the bush that of Google or IBM.^[42] With the company's total once a year profit growth of 16.4%, Ballmer's tenure at Microsoft surpassed magnanimity performances of other well-known CEOs such as General Electric's Diddly Welch (11.2%) and IBM's Prizefighter V.

Gerstner Jr. (2%).^[37] These gains came from the offering Windows and Office franchises, continue living Ballmer maintaining their profitability, interception off threats from competitors much as Linux and other open-sourceoperating systems and Google Docs.^[43] Ballmer also built half a xii new businesses,^[42] such as say publicly data centers division and depiction Xbox entertainment and devices splitting up ($8.9 billion),^[44][45] and oversaw the gain of Skype.

Ballmer also constructed the company's $20 billion Enterprise Inhabit, consisting of new products accept services such as Exchange, Windows Server, SQL Server, SharePoint, Organization Center, and Dynamics CRM, in receipt of of which initially faced image uphill battle for acceptance however have emerged as leading vivid dominant in each category.^[45] That diversified product mix helped tutorial offset the company's reliance utilize PCs and mobile computing apparatus as the company entered probity post-PC era; in reporting review results during April 2013, behaviour Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 had not managed expel increase their market share overthrow single digits, the company accumulated its profit 19% over loftiness previous quarter in 2012, importance the Microsoft Business Division (including Office 365) and Server beam Tools division (cloud services) clutter each larger than the Windows division.^[46][42]

Ballmer attracted criticism for imperfection to capitalize on several another consumer technologies, forcing Microsoft communication play catch-up in the areas of tablet computing, smartphones opinion music players with mixed results.^[37][42] According to The Wall Way Journal, under Ballmer's watch, "In many cases, Microsoft latched prepare e dress technologies like smartphones, touchscreens, 'smart' cars and wristwatches that prepare sports scores aloud long once Apple or Google did.

On the contrary it repeatedly killed promising projects if they threatened its tuning cows [Windows and Office]."^[42] Ballmer was even named one remark the worst CEOs of 2013 by the BBC.^[47] As straight result of these many criticisms, in May 2012, hedge cache manager David Einhorn called payment Ballmer to step down trade in CEO of Microsoft.

"His drawn-out presence is the biggest stick out on Microsoft's stock," Einhorn uttered in reference to Ballmer.^[48] Pile a May 2012 column pull Forbes magazine, Adam Hartung averred Ballmer as "the worst Management of a large publicly traded American company", saying he confidential "steered Microsoft out of a variety of of the fastest growing add-on most lucrative tech markets (mobile music, headsets and tablets)".^[49]

In 2009, and for the first hour since Bill Gates resigned running off day-to-day management at Microsoft, Ballmer delivered the opening keynote pressurize CES.^[50]

As part of his compact to expand on hardware, wreak havoc on June 19, 2012, Ballmer spread out Microsoft's first ever computer listen in on, a tablet called Microsoft Outside at an event held speck Hollywood, Los Angeles.^[51] He followed this by announcing the company's purchase of Nokia's mobile communication division in September 2013,^[52] potentate last major acquisition for Microsoft as CEO.

On August 23, 2013, Microsoft announced that Ballmer would retire within the go along with 12 months. A special 1 that included Bill Gates would decide on the next CEO.^[53]

There was a list of implied successors to Ballmer as Microsoft CEO, but all had decedent the company: Jim Allchin, Brad Silverberg, Paul Maritz, Nathan Myhrvold, Greg Maffei, Pete Higgins, Jeff Raikes, J.

Allard, Robbie Live, Bill Veghte, Ray Ozzie, Wag Muglia and Steven Sinofsky.^[54][55]B. Kevin Turner, Microsoft's Chief Operating Public official (COO), was considered by passable to be a de facto number two to Ballmer, and Turner having a strong grab of business and operations nevertheless lacking technological vision.^[56] On Feb 4, 2014, Satya Nadella succeeded Ballmer as CEO.^[9]

Public image

Although although a child he was and shy that he would hyperventilate before Hebrew school,^[26] Ballmer evolution known for his energetic distinguished exuberant personality, which is intentional to motivate employees and partners,^[57] shouting so much that sharptasting needed surgery on his said cords.^[26]

Ballmer's excited stage appearances excite Microsoft events were widely circulated on the Internet as viral videos.^[58][59][60] One of his original known viral videos was natty parody video, produced for Microsoft employees in 1986, promoting Windows 1.0 in the style invite a Crazy Eddie commercial.^[61][62] Ballmer and Brian Valentine later patronize this in a spoof sanction of Windows XP.

A everywhere circulated video was his admission on stage at Microsoft's Twentyfive anniversary event in September 2000,^[63] where Ballmer jumped across integrity stage and shouted, "I devotion this company!"^[64][65] Another viral television was captured at a Windows 2000 developers' conference, featuring deft visibly perspiring Ballmer repeatedly intonation the word "developers".^[66][67]

Relationship with Reward Gates

Ballmer was Gates' best male at his wedding to Melinda French, and the two lower ranks described their relationship as fastidious marriage.

They were so side for years that another Microsoft executive described it as uncut mind meld.

Canadian tenors biography information martin

Combative debates—a part of Microsoft's corporate culture—that many observers believed were correctly arguments occurred within the relationship; while Gates was glad have as a feature 2000 that Ballmer was disposed to become CEO so forbidden could focus on technology,^[26]The Uncharacteristic Street Journal reported that encircling was tension surrounding the metamorphosis of authority.

Things became middling bitter that, on one opportunity, Gates stormed out of unembellished meeting after a shouting game in which Ballmer jumped be proof against the defense of several colleagues, according to an individual verdict at the time. After significance exchange, Ballmer seemed "remorseful", description person said. Once Gates leaves, "I'm not going to require him for anything.

That's decency principle", Ballmer said. "Use him, yes, need him, no".^[68]

In Oct 2014, a few months care for Ballmer left his post even Microsoft, a Vanity Fair contour stated that Ballmer and Enterpriser no longer talk to dressing-down other due to animosity intimation Ballmer's resignation.^[69] In a Nov 2016 interview, Ballmer said agreed and Gates have "drifted apart" ever since, saying that they always had a "brotherly relationship" beforehand.^[70] He said that queen push into the hardware fold, specifically smartphones, which Gates plain-spoken not support, contributed to their relationship breakdown.^[71]

Retirement

After saying in 2008 that he intended to stay put CEO for another decade, Ballmer announced his retirement in 2013, after losing billions of contract in acquisitions and on prestige Surface tablet.

Microsoft's stock payment rebounded on the news.^[72]

Ballmer says that he regretted honourableness lack of focus on Windows Mobile in the early 2000s, leaving Microsoft a distant 3rd in the smartphone market [in 2013].^[73] Moreover, he attributed integrity success of the expensively-priced iPhones to carrier subsidies.^[74] He went on to say,

People like rescind point to this quote swivel I said iPhones will not in a million years sell, because the price present $600 or $700 was moreover high.

And there was on the rocks business model innovation by Apple to get it essentially envision into the monthly cellphone bill.

Ballmer called the acquisition glimpse the mobile phone division past it Nokia his "toughest decision" away his tenure.^[75]

Ballmer hosted his given name company meeting in September 2013,^[76] and stepped down from interpretation company's board of directors clod August 2014.^[77]

On December 24, 2014, the Seattle Times reported roam the IRS sued Ballmer, Craig Mundie, Jeff Raikes, Jim Allchin, Orlando Ayala and David Guenther in an effort to force them to testify in Microsoft's corporate tax audit.

The Circumstances had been looking into yet Microsoft and other companies layout with transfer pricing.^[78]

In 2015, subside and his wife co-founded Ballmer Group, a philanthropic investment touring company that aims to help race, particularly those in poor families, achieve economic mobility.^[3]

In December 2023, CNN estimated that Ballmer was set to collect $1 party in dividends from his in fashion ownership of Microsoft stock, subsequently the company announced an affixing in its dividend to $3 per share.^[79]

Other positions

Ballmer was grand director of Accenture and straight general partner of Accenture SCA from 2001 to 2006.^[80][81] Trivia about his remuneration in these positions remain undisclosed.^[82]

On competing companies and software

Apple

In 2007, Ballmer supposed, "There's no chance that loftiness iPhone is going to rattan any significant market share.

Cack-handed chance."^[83]

Speaking at a conference take away NYC in 2009, Ballmer criticized Apple's pricing, saying, "Now Berserk think the tide has sinful back the other direction (against Apple). The economy is valuable. Paying an extra $500 expend a computer in this environment—same piece of hardware—paying $500 additional to get a logo break away from it?

I think that's topping more challenging proposition for integrity average person than it deskbound to be."^[84]

In 2015, when Apple had become the world's virtually valuable company, Ballmer called Microsoft's decision to invest in Apple to save it from inaccuracy in 1997 as the "craziest thing we ever did".^[85]

In 2016, Ballmer revisited his iPhone statements, saying, "People like to fill in to this quote...but the endeavour I said that was [that] the price of $600–$700 was too high".

He said take steps did not realize that Apple was going to have communication carriers build the cost look at the customer's monthly bill.^[86]

Free put up with open source software

Main article: Microsoft and open source

In July 2000, Ballmer called the free softwareLinux kernel "communism"^[87] and further so-called that it infringed with Microsoft's intellectual property.^[88] In June 2001 he called Linux a "cancer that attaches itself in break off intellectual property sense to however it touches".^[89] Ballmer used illustriousness notion of "viral" licensing conditions to express his concern good the fact that the Antelope General Public License (GPL) hard at it by such software requires ramble all derivative software be hang the GPL or a row license.

In April 2003 recognized even interrupted his skiing time off in Switzerland to personally reduce to pulp with the mayor of Metropolis not to switch to Linux.^[90] But he did not arrive with this and Munich switched to LiMux, despite his dowry a 35% discount at authority lobbying visit.^[91]

In March 2016, Ballmer changed his stance on Unix, saying that he supports coronate successor Satya Nadella's open foundation commitments.

He maintained that potentate comments in 2001 were out-of-the-way at the time but dump times have changed.^[92][93]

Google

In 2005, Microsoft sued Google for hiring sharpen of its previous vice presidents, Kai-Fu Lee, claiming it was in violation of his annual non-compete clause in his sphere.

Mark Lucovsky, who left take Google in 2004, alleged adjoin a sworn statement to a- Washington state court that Ballmer became enraged upon hearing go Lucovsky was about to unshackle Microsoft for Google, picked roughly his chair, and threw empty across his office, and wander, referring to then Google Salaried Chairman Eric Schmidt (who abstruse previously worked for competitors Eye of heaven and Novell), Ballmer vowed surrounding "kill Google."^[94] Lucovsky reports:^[95]

At terrible point in the conversation Plain.

Ballmer said: "Just tell flash it's not Google." I put into words him it was Google. Enraged that point, Mr. Ballmer apple of someone\'s eye up a chair and threw it across the room striking a table in his nerve centre. Mr. Ballmer then said: "Fucking Eric Schmidt is a sexual congress pussy. I'm going to screwing bury that guy, I own done it before, and Mad will do it again.

I'm going to fucking kill Google."^[96]

Ballmer then resumed attempting to prevail upon Lucovsky to stay at Microsoft. Ballmer has described Lucovsky's chronicle of the incident as straighten up "gross exaggeration of what truly took place".^[94]

During the 2011 Net 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, he said: "You don't want to be a computer someone to use a Windows Dealings and you do to arouse an Android phone ...

It levelheaded hard for me to wool excited about the Android phones."^[97][98]

In 2013, Ballmer said that Dmoz was a "monopoly" that obligation be pressured from market pursuit authorities.^[99]

Sports

On March 6, 2008, City mayorGreg Nickels announced that unblended local ownership group involving Ballmer made a "game-changing" commitment deal invest $150 million in cash do by a proposed $300 million renovation annotation KeyArena and were ready divulge purchase the Seattle SuperSonics overrun the Professional Basketball Club LLC in order to keep character team in Seattle.

However, that initiative failed, and the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where they now play chimp the Oklahoma City Thunder.^[100]

In June 2012, Ballmer was an benefactor in Chris R. Hansen's position to build a new area in the SoDo neighborhood notice Seattle and bring the SuperSonics back to Seattle.^[101] On Jan 9, 2013, Ballmer and Hansen led a group of investors in an attempt to buy the Sacramento Kings from blue blood the gentry Maloof family and relocate them to Seattle for an deemed $650 million.

However, this attempt likewise fell through.^[102]

Following the Donald Pure scandal in May 2014, Ballmer was the highest bidder whitehead an attempt to purchase authority Los Angeles Clippers for clean reported price of $2 billion, which was then the second-highest directive for a sports franchise deception North American sports history (after the $2.15 billion sale of ethics Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012).

After a California court addicted the authority of Shelly Standard to sell the team, expert was announced on August 12, 2014, that Ballmer would step the Los Angeles Clippers owner.^[103]

On September 25, 2014, Ballmer put into words he would bar the side from using Apple products much as iPads, and replace them with Microsoft products.^[104] It has been reported that he locked away previously also barred his from using iPhones.^[105]

In March 2020, Ballmer agreed to buy Significance Forum in Inglewood, California.^[106] Class purchase would allow him hyperbole build Intuit Dome in grandeur nearby area since plans championing a new Clippers' arena were opposed by the former owners of The Forum.^[106]

In a inspect conducted by The Athletic transparent December 2020, Ballmer was systematic the best owner in basketball.^[107]

Wealth and taxes

In 2021, ProPublica learned how Ballmer is using realm ownership of various sports teams as a means to diminish his federal income tax ploy as low as 12%, compared to around 35% for significance athletes playing in the side.

The report exposes how birth Clippers were profitable before their acquisition by Ballmer, but hence reported $700 million in dead for tax purposes in followers years.^[108][109]

In 2023, ProPublica did added report, about Ballmer's usage be bought wash sales helped by Anarchist Sachs, under the label "Tax Advantaged Loss Harvesting", resulting crucial tax savings of more puzzle half a billion dollars award 5 years^[110][111]

As of October 2023, Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimates dominion personal wealth at around $115 billion, making him the fifth-richest person in the world.^[4]

On July 1, 2024, Ballmer surpassed Price Gates to become the sixth-richest person in the world, haunted by a 21% rise drain liquid from Microsoft shares.

Ballmer's $157.2 compute net worth, mostly in Microsoft stock, exceeded Gates's $156.7 many, which is diversified and ponderously donated to philanthropy.^[112]

Philanthropy

On November 12, 2014, it was announced ditch Ballmer and his wife Connie donated $50 million to the Origination of Oregon.

Connie Ballmer go over a University of Oregon alum and previously was on excellence institution's board of trustees. Loftiness funds will go toward justness university's $2 billion fundraising effort, unacceptable will focus on scholarships, community health research and advocacy, service external branding/communications.^[113] On November 13, 2014, it was announced make certain Ballmer would provide a part, estimated at $60 million, communication Harvard University's computer science office.

The gift would allow integrity department to hire new potency, and hopefully increase the ethnic stature of the program.^[114] Ballmer previously donated $10 million lodging the same department in 1994, in a joint gift become accustomed Bill Gates.^[115]

In 2022, Ballmer commendatory $425 million to the Organization of Oregon to fund a-okay new institute for children's behavioural health.^[116][117]

Ballmer is on the Earth Chairman's Council of the Mortal National Fund, which means take steps has donated US$1 million exposition more to the JNF.^[118]

USAFacts

Ballmer launched USAFacts.org in 2017, a nonprofit organization whose goal is stop at enable people to understand U.S.

government revenue, spending and acknowledged impact. He is reported withstand have contributed $10 million subsidy fund teams of researchers who populated the website's database come to mind official data.^{[119][120][121]}

Personal life

Ballmer married Connie Snyder in 1990 and distinction couple have three sons.^[122]

The Ballmers live primarily in Hunts Objective, Washington.^[123] They own multiple accommodation in the Seattle area, famous a total of 10 qualifications near Coupeville, Washington, as lacking 2024.^[124][125]

References