Over the course of his career, Palmer has served as a senior staff member in the United . [26] These gains came from the existing Windows and Office franchises, with Ballmer maintaining their profitability, fending off threats from competitors such as Linux and other open-source operating systems and Google Docs. Billionaire Steve Ballmer is one of most renowned names in the world of tech. An odyssey through the self, addiction, and some of the most celebrated restaurants in America. Steve Ballmer was stunned. He started with a $50,000 salary and a 5-10 percent stake in the company. [88] On January 9, 2013, Ballmer and Hansen led a group of investors in an attempt to purchase the Sacramento Kings from the Maloof family and relocate them to Seattle for an estimated $650million. The couple stressed that theyve never claimed to be experts, only listeners. [32] Ballmer also built half a dozen new businesses,[31] such as the data centers division and the Xbox entertainment and devices division ($8.9billion),[33] (which prevented the Sony PlayStation and other gaming consoles from undermining Windows),[34] and oversaw the acquisition of Skype. [37] In a May 2012 column in Forbes magazine, Adam Hartung described Ballmer as "the worst CEO of a large publicly traded American company", saying he had "steered Microsoft out of some of the fastest growing and most lucrative tech markets (mobile music, headsets and tablets)". In April 2003 he even interrupted his skiing holiday in Switzerland to personally plead with the mayor of Munich not to switch to Linux. After the exchange, Ballmer seemed "remorseful", the person said. Ballmer was instrumental in driving Microsoft's connected computing strategy, with acquisitions such as Skype. He was aligned with us, Brenes said. "His continued presence is the biggest overhang on Microsoft's stock," Einhorn said in reference to Ballmer. The ranking includes 2,153 people who have a combined wealth of $8.7 . [62], Ballmer says that he regretted the lack of focus on Windows Mobile in the early 2000s, leaving Microsoft a distant third in the (then current) 2013 smartphone market. 2016-2023, Forbes Books. Steve Ballmer, billionaire owner of the L.A. Clippers NBA team and former CEO of Microsoft, has been a major philanthropist for years.Now he's investing $400 million to support Black-owned . [15] He graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in applied mathematics and economics in 1977. Some people can donate, some people can give their time, some people can give whether its volunteering in the social service agency, whether it is volunteering for an advocacy organization, whether its getting out the vote, whether it is voting, Steve Ballmer said. He joined The Times after covering college football and sports enterprise at the Oregonian. [95], On November 12, 2014, it was announced that Ballmer and his wife Connie donated $50million to the University of Oregon. Ballmer was no dummy. Steve Ballmer became the chief executive officer of Microsoft in January 2000, handling the companys finances and operations while Bill Gates retained his position as the chairman and chief software architect. China (including Macau and . He has been recognized by the New York Times, L.A. Times, NPR, Southern Living, Food & Wine, the James Beard Foundation, and Forbes Small Business Giants. Steve Ballmer, the world's ninth-richest person, is investing $400 million in funds tied to Black venture-capital and private equity managers. He credited the programs mentors with helping him address childhood trauma and evolve from a self-described anti-social freshman at Washington Preparatory High into a 2020 graduate who says he now hopes to build his community from within through his own mentoring.