The Chronicle of Philanthropy
March 12, 2025
When Steve Ballmer stepped down as Microsoft’s CEO in 2014, with a $23 billion fortune at age 58, he began wearing lime-green golf shirts and insisted for a few months that his top priority was to enjoy retirement. His wife, Connie, nudged him to think about philanthropy, but he was hesitant. And then one day, Steve Ballmer let it be known that he had just leased an entire floor of an office tower in this Seattle suburb.
“I said, ‘What!?’ Connie Ballmer recalled in a recent interview. “‘Are you kidding me? What are we doing with a whole floor?’”
Her husband’s laconic reply: “I think we’ll be doing something.”