Steve Ballmer
MicrosoftBill Gates
MicrosoftSteve Ballmer is $24B richer
| Steve Ballmer | Bill Gates | |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Companies | Microsoft |
| American | Nationality | American |
| March 24, 1956 | Born | October 28, 1955 |
| Harvard University (BA, Applied Mathematics); Stanford University (MBA - dropped out) | Education | Harvard University (dropped out) |
| 177.8K yr | Years to Earn at $60K/yr | 144.4K yr |
| 1,706 | Private Jets ($75M each) | 1,386 |
| 5,120 | Private Islands ($25M each) | 4,160 |
Steve Ballmer
Steve Ballmer was instrumental in Microsoft's growth as CEO from 2000 to 2014.
Ballmer is famous for his "Developers, developers, developers!" speech.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates was the driving force of the personal computer revolution, co-founding Microsoft.
Gates was arrested in 1977 in New Mexico for running a red light without a license.
Steve Ballmer leads at $128B vs Bill Gates at $104B - a $24B gap. At $1,000/day, Steve Ballmer would need 350.4K years to spend it all, while Bill Gates would need 284.7K years.
Steve Ballmer earned their fortune through Microsoft, while Bill Gates built their wealth via Microsoft. Together, their combined net worth of $232B could fund entire national budgets for years.
Compare with someone else
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate are these comparisons?
Net worth data is based on the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list. These are estimates and may differ from actual holdings.
Can I compare any two billionaires?
Yes! Use the links below to compare any pair of the 15 billionaires we track on our platform.
How are "years to earn" calculated?
We divide the net worth by an annual salary of $60,000 (average US salary). You can see how this changes with different income levels in our Scenarios section.
