You don’t see an employee becoming richer than his employer quite often. But that is exactly what ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer managed to do.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Ballmer’s personal wealth recently surpassed the one of his former boss and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
Ballmer is currently estimated to be worth $157.2 billion, making him the sixth richest person in the world. Gates, on the other hand, is worth $156.7 billion.
Ballmer originally joined Microsoft in 1980, becoming the company’s 30th employee. He fronted several divisions during his first 18 years with Microsoft before becoming its President in 1998. Two years later, he succeeded Gates as the CEO and remained in the position until 2014.
As part of Ballmer’s original employment agreement, he received an 8% stake in the company. He would go on to sell 4% of his shares in the early 2000s but still owns the remaining 4% and is Microsoft’s largest single shareholder. These shares are the main source of his wealth as the company’s stock skyrocketed in recent years. He is also the owner of the NBA franchise Los Angeles Clippers.
At the price of $460.77, the shares of Microsoft are 236.18% up in the past five years and 24.24% up year-to-date.