Huang vs Ballmer
Nvidia and Microsoft.
The differences
- Forbes puts Jensen Huang about $27B ahead of Steve Ballmer.Forbes figures from 15 Oct 2026 and 15 Oct 2026.
- Jensen Huang: co-founded it. Steve Ballmer: built it up.
- Steve Ballmer is about 7 years older than Jensen Huang.
- Jensen Huang has held a public or government advisory role; Steve Ballmer has none on record.
Put someone else on either side
Side by side
Huang
BallmerThe money
- Net worth, Forbes
- $192BForbes, 15 Oct 2026
- $165BForbes, 15 Oct 2026
- Net worth, Bloomberg
- $190BBloomberg, 9 Oct 2026
- $185BBloomberg, 16 Oct 2026
- Forbes rank
- No. 7Real-Time list, 15 Oct 2026
- No. 9Real-Time list, 15 Oct 2026
- Billionaire since
- Not stated
- Not stated
Where it came from
- How it started
- Co-founded itCo-founded Nvidia in 1993 with Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem (Bloomberg); Nvidia calls him co-founder
- Built it upNeither founder nor heir: he joined Microsoft in 1980 as employee No. 30 and first business manager, and was CEO 2000-2014; Forbes counts him as self-made
- Main source
- Nvidia stockBloomberg: 'The majority of Jensen Huang's fortune is derived from his stake in Nvidia'
- Microsoft stockBloomberg: 'The majority of Steve Ballmer's fortune is derived from a stake in Microsoft'
- Companies
- NvidiaNvidia: Founder, president and CEO, and director
- MicrosoftMicrosoft: None (shareholder)
- Biggest stake
- Nvidia3.3% owned
- MicrosoftStake not stated
The person
- Born
- 17 Feb 1963Taiwan
- 24 Mar 1956Detroit, Michigan, United States
- Country
- United StatesLives in Los Altos, California, United States
- United StatesLives in Hunts Point, Washington, United States
- Education
- Graduate degreeBSEE, Oregon State University; MSEE, Stanford University
- Bachelor's degreeDegree in applied mathematics and economics, Harvard University; left Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1980 to join Microsoft
- Parents
- His father was a chemical engineer and his mother taught grade school
- Father was a manager at Ford Motor Co.Mother's occupation not in the cited sources
What they give
- Giving Pledge
- Not a signer
- Not a signer
- Foundation
- Jen-Hsun and Lori Huang Foundation
- Ballmer GroupCo-founded with his wife Connie Ballmer in 2015; he also founded USAFacts
- Lifetime giving
- Not stated
- $7.4BForbes, 14 Oct 2026. Forbes: 'the Ballmers have given away more than $7.4 billion' (Steve and Connie together)
Role and record
- Role now
- Runs the companyFounder, president and CEO of Nvidia
- No roleFormer Microsoft CEO and director; owner and chairman of the LA Clippers
- Successor
- None namedNo successor named; his daughter Madison Huang (senior director, physical AI product marketing) and son Spencer Huang (product manager, robotics) are employed by Nvidia, per its 2026 proxy; neither is on Nvidia's management team page
- Satya Nadella succeeded him as Microsoft CEO in February 2014No Ballmer family member is named in a Microsoft executive role
- Public office
- Member, President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)2026-
- None found
- Legal record
- None found
- None found
