Updated: July 11, 2013

Steve Ballmer is CEO of Microsoft, headquartered in Redmond, Wash. He joined Microsoft in 1980 and was the company’s first business manager. Before becoming CEO in 2000, his roles at Microsoft included senior vice president of sales and support, senior vice president of systems software and vice president of marketing.

Ballmer and the company's leaders focus on creating a family of devices and services for individuals and businesses that empower people around the globe at home, at work and on the go, for the activities they value most. Under his leadership, Microsoft has more than tripled revenue and doubled profits since 2000.

Ballmer was born in March 1956, and he grew up near Detroit where his father worked as a manager at Ford Motor Co. Ballmer earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from Harvard University. He worked for two years at Procter & Gamble Co. as an assistant product manager and attended Stanford University Graduate School of Business before joining Microsoft.