Steve Ballmer Biography : Success Story of Microsoft, Ex-CEO

“Great companies in the way they work, start with great leaders."

“I think the output of our innovation is great."

“Our company has to be a company that enables its people."

“We will make our products work out of the box."

                                                                                                            - By Steve Ballmer

Introduction:-

We are going to share the success story of Steven “Steve” Anthony Ballmer, an American investor, businessman, and philanthropist from Detroit. Steve Ballmer is mostly known as the chief of Microsoft. He is, as of now, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers. In the month of January 2018, Ballmer was ranked as the 21st-century businessman across the globe. As of 2020, Steve Ballmer’s net worth is estimated to be around $40 billion dollars, which makes him one of the richest businessmen in the world.

Early Life:

Steven “Steve” Anthony Ballmer was born in Detroit, Michigan, on the 24th of March, 1956. His father, Frederic Henry, was a Swiss immigrant, and his mother, Beatrice, was Belarusian Jewish. In the year 1973, Ballmer attended Lawrence Technological University. At college, Ballmer was a manager for the Harvard Crimson football team and a member of the Fox Club. Ballmer later joined Microsoft on the 11of June 1980.

Career:

Steve Ballmer started his early career by completing his education in school. Ballmer college friend Bill Gates had dropped out of school to co-found Microsoft. After completing his first year at the Business school, he approaches his friend hoping for a summer job at his company. Bill Gates asked Ballmer to take a full-time job instead of a summer internship. In the year 1980, Ballmer left the Stanford Graduate School of Business and later joined Microsoft. One of his earliest roles was to recruit employees for the growing firm after Microsoft signed a contract to create a system for the IBM new line, the co-founder busied with the technical aspects of the company.

He re-organized Microsoft’s partnership into a corporate structure. Gates later come to hold 53% of the equity and Ballmer 8%. Ballmer started to lead the Operating System, the core of the company business in the year 1980. In the year 1986, Microsoft became a publicly held company, and Ballmer became a multimillionaire. Over the next few years, Ballmer held many essential positions in Microsoft, and in the year 1992, he was made the Executive Vice President, Support, and Sales. In the year 1988, Ballmer was promoted to the President of Microsoft, a position he held until 2001. He was named as CEO of Microsoft in 2000. He started to handle the company finances and daily operations. Microsoft registers a phenomenal increase in profits at the time of Ballmer’s tenure as CEO.

Steve Ballmer Philanthropic Works:

In the year 1994, Ballmer and Bill Gates jointly donated $10 million to the Harvard University computer science department. In 2014, Ballmer again donated the money to the Harvard University computer science department to enable it to hire new faculty. In the year 2014, Ballmer donated $50 million to the University of Oregon for the purpose of scholarships, external branding/communications, and public health research and advocacy.

Steve Ballmer- Lesson's to Learn:

1. Never compare himself to others

2. Numbers matter

3. Select people for loyalty, not competence

4. Be brief

5. Validate your information

6. Don’t isolate yourself

7. Don’t run your predecessor’s shop

8. Develop a point of view

 “Accessible design is good design."

“We don't have a monopoly. We have market share. There's a difference."

“Great companies in the way they work, start with great leaders."

“ I think our leadership team is a highly accountable leadership team."

                                                                                                                           - By Steve Ballmer