Steve Ballmer, the former Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) CEO, has added more than $10 billion to his net worth this year as the stock rebounded to $513 after falling as low as $348 earlier in the year.
That has pushed his net worth to $179 billion, making him the ninth-richest person in the world. Notably, he has now overtaken Bill Gates, whose fortune has dropped $2.7 billion this year to $114 billion, meaning Ballmer is $65 billion richer than the man who founded the company.
Ballmer’s wealth has made him Microsoft’s biggest individual shareholder. According to Bloomberg, he owns a 4% stake in Microsoft, a company valued at $3.81 trillion.
In addition to this, Ballmer’s wealth is tied to his stake in the Los Angeles Clippers, which he bought in a $2 billion deal. Today, the team is valued at $7.5 billion, and this growth will likely continue growing as team valuations surge.
Bill Gates Has Given More Money to Charity
The main reason why Steve Ballmer is richer than Bill Gates is that the latter has dedicated his life to philanthropy. He is now focused on giving away his fortune, mostly through the Gates Foundation. As a result, he has given away nearly $100 billion in his lifetime and owns less than 1% of Microsoft.
Additionally, Bill Gates wealth was affected by his Divorce in 2021. According to the New York Times (NYSE:NYT), his foundation made a $7.9 billion payout to the private foundation of Melinda French Gates.
Gates has said that he will shut his foundation in 2045, when he has completed giving away all his wealth.
To be sure. Ballmer is also a philanthropic person through the Ballmer Group, which he founded with his wife in 2015. According to its website, the organization gave away $1.48 billion in grants in 2025. Forbes notes that he has already given away to organizations in areas like behavioral health, criminal justice, housing, and public safety.
Microsoft has rebounded in the past few months, a trend that accelerated after the last earnings report. This report showed that its revenue and profitability continued rising in the last quarter, with management hiking the forward guidance. Also, its investments in Anthropic and OpenAI have boosted its performance.
The main issue, however, is that its spending on AI is accelerating. Benzinga data shows that the average estimate among analysts is $557, slightly higher than where it is today.
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