Steve Ballmer, Former Microsoft CEO, Nears Bill Gates's Wealth at $117 Billion, Powered by AI and OpenAI Investments

AI Boom and Strategic Investment in OpenAI Drive Ballmer's Wealth Surge, Making Him the Only Centibillionaire Employee; He's Now Just $6 Billion Short of Gates's Wealth.

Ballmer rose through the ranks at Microsoft and is on the verge of surpassing his mentor, Bill Gates, in wealth due to a bet on OpenAI made by current CEO Satya Nadella.
Steve Ballmer's wealth is now estimated at $117 billion, making him the only centibillionaire to have made his fortune as an employee.
His wealth surged after Microsoft's investment in OpenAI and the increasing focus on AI, which significantly boosted Microsoft's stock price.
Ballmer, the largest single individual shareholder at Microsoft, had disagreements with the board and stepped down in 2014, marking a shift in strategy for the company, leading to a revitalization of the company's stock price under successor Satya Nadella.
Despite his increasing wealth, Ballmer's post-Microsoft endeavors, such as the purchase of the L.A. Clippers basketball team and his charitable group focused on social mobility for economically disadvantaged children, are not as well-known as Gates's philanthropic pursuits.