Steven Anthony Ballmer (/ˈbɔːlmər/; March 24, 1956)[1] is an American billionaire businessman and investor who served as the 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). As of October 2023, Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimates his personal wealth at around $115 billion, making him the fifth-richest person in the world.[2]
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.[3][4] 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, when he left to prepare for teaching a new class.[5][6]
His tenure as Microsoft CEO is widely viewed as mixed. 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.[7][8][9]
His ownership of the Clippers has generally been well-received. Players and sportswriters consider him a marked improvement over previous owner Donald Sterling, citing his enthusiasm for the team as well as his willingness to spend large amounts of money to acquire superstar players and finance the construction of Intuit Dome.[10][11]
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