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Net Worth Comparison

Steve Ballmer vs Elon Musk

Real-time net worth, career, and company comparison — updated June 2026.

Steve Ballmer

Steve Ballmer

CEO, Microsoft
Net Worth
$133.27B
+0.52% today
Elon Musk
Wealthier

Elon Musk

CEO, Tesla, Inc.
Net Worth
$807.656B
+$674.4B more than Steve
+1.18% today

Wealth at a Glance

Steve Ballmer$133.27B
Elon Musk$807.656B

Net worth gap: $674.4B — equivalent to 84% of Elon's total wealth.

Tale of the Tape

Steve Ballmer
Elon Musk
$133.27B
Net Worth
$807.656B
#14
Global Rank
#1
69
Age
54
UNITED STATES
Country
UNITED STATES
Microsoft
Source of Wealth
Tesla, SpaceX
Technology
Industry
Technology
Harvard University (BA in Mathematics and Economics)
Education
University of Pennsylvania (BA, BS)
$0.0M
Annual Salary
—

Career Highlights

Steve Ballmer

  1. 1980
    Joined Microsoft
    Became Microsoft's first business manager.
  2. 2000
    CEO of Microsoft
    Succeeded Bill Gates as CEO.
  3. 2014
    Retired as Microsoft CEO
    Stepped down as CEO of Microsoft.
  4. 2014
    Purchased Los Angeles Clippers
    Bought the Los Angeles Clippers NBA team.
  5. 2015
    Founded Ballmer Group
    Co-founded the Ballmer Group, a philanthropic organization.

Elon Musk

  1. 1995
    Co-founded Zip2
    Co-founded Zip2, an online city guide for newspapers.
  2. 1999
    Co-founded X.com
    Co-founded X.com, which later became PayPal.
  3. 2002
    Founded SpaceX
    Founded Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX).
  4. 2004
    Became Chairman of Tesla
    Led the first funding round for Tesla and became its Chairman.
  5. 2008
    Became CEO of Tesla
    Became CEO of Tesla Motors.

Net Worth History

YearSteveElonLeader
2022$77B$146BElon
2023$125.8B$235.5BElon
2024$145B$839.6BElon
2025$126B$839BElon
2026$133.27B$807.656BElon

The Verdict: Elon Musk vs Steve Ballmer

As of June 2026, Elon Musk leads this comparison with a net worth of $807.656B, placing at #1 in the global rankings. Steve Ballmer follows at $133.27B — a gap of $674.4B.

Both executives operate in the Technology sector, making this a direct peer comparison. Their wealth trajectories reflect the broader performance of that industry over time, though individual company strategy, equity ownership structure, and capital allocation decisions have driven meaningfully different outcomes.

Steve Ballmer is 69 years old versus 54 for Elon Musk, a difference of 15 years. Age context matters in wealth comparisons: a younger billionaire at the same net worth has had less time to accumulate — and in many cases represents a higher compound annual growth rate on their wealth.

Net worth figures are estimates calculated from public shareholding disclosures, stock price data, and reported asset values. See our full methodology.

Explore Full Profiles

Steve Ballmer
Steve Ballmer
Full profile → net worth, bio, career history
Elon Musk
Elon Musk
Full profile → net worth, bio, career history

Net worth estimates updated daily from public financial disclosures. Methodology · Report an error