Editing Steve Ballmer (section)

==Early life and education==
Steven Anthony Ballmer was born on March 24, 1956, in [[Detroit]], Michigan, as the son of Beatrice Dworkin and Frederic Henry (Fritz Hans) Ballmer, a German born manager at the [[Ford Motor Company]].<ref name="cnnbio" /><ref name=":2" /> Frederic (1923–2000) was from [[Zuchwil]], Switzerland, and arrived in the United States in 1948.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Lifestyles |date=2022-10-19 |title=$149 million new gift from Ballmers for climate-change efforts follows their gift of $425 million earlier this year for children's health. – Lifestyles Magazine |url=https://lifestylesmagazine.com/latest-news/149-million-new-gift-from-ballmers-for-climate-change-efforts-follows-their-gift-of-425-million-earlier-this-year-for-childrens-health/ |access-date=2025-02-13 |language=en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-28 |title=Success Story of Steve Ballmer: How He Transformed Microsoft |url=https://primeinsights.in/success-story-of-steve-ballmer/ |access-date=2025-02-13 |language=en-US}}</ref> Through his mother, Ballmer is a second cousin of actress and comedian [[Gilda Radner]].<ref name=":2">{{cite web |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19980125/2730718/microsofts-heir-apparent----steve-ballmer |title=Business – Microsoft's Heir Apparent – Steve Ballmer – Seattle Times Newspaper |access-date=September 10, 2016 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064018/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19980125&slug=2730718 |url-status=live}}</ref> Ballmer grew up in the affluent community of [[Farmington Hills, Michigan|Farmington Hills]], [[Michigan]]. Ballmer also lived in Brussels from 1964 to 1967, where he attended the [[International School of Brussels]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Steve Ballmer lived in Brussels! |website=[[YouTube]] |date=August 26, 2007 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvcPlwKrquM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/zvcPlwKrquM |archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live |access-date=December 4, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 1973, he attended college prep and engineering classes at [[Lawrence Technological University]]. He graduated as [[valedictorian]] from [[Detroit Country Day School]], a private [[university-preparatory school|college preparatory school]] in [[Beverly Hills, Michigan|Beverly Hills]], [[Michigan]], with a score of 790 on the mathematical section of the [[SAT]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/steve-ballmer/index.htm |title=Steve Ballmer Biography – Microsoft CEO |publisher=Woopidoo.com |date=March 24, 1956 |access-date=December 27, 2013 |archive-date=April 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416132824/http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/steve-ballmer/index.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/business/yourmoney/28ballmer.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all |work=The New York Times |first=Steve |last=Lohr |title=Preaching From the Ballmer Pulpit |date=January 28, 2007 |access-date=February 20, 2017 |archive-date=August 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816235708/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/business/yourmoney/28ballmer.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all |url-status=live }}</ref> and was a [[National Merit Scholarship Program|National Merit Scholar]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalmerit.org/s/1758/interior.aspx?sid=1758&gid=2&pgid=416 |title=National Merit Scholarship Corporation – Scholars You May Know |publisher=nationalmerit.org |access-date=August 26, 2015 |archive-date=February 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160228095002/http://www.nationalmerit.org/s/1758/interior.aspx?sid=1758&gid=2&pgid=416 |url-status=live }}</ref> 

Ballmer, the first in his family to graduate from college,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ramirez |first=Eddy |title=Camino Nuevo Wins $750,000 Grant to Prepare More Students for College |date=July 12, 2018 |url=https://cisneros.caminonuevo.org/apps/news/article/886552 |access-date=November 5, 2023 |archive-date=November 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105225036/https://cisneros.caminonuevo.org/apps/news/article/886552 |url-status=live }}</ref> attended [[Harvard College]], where he was a manager for the [[Harvard Crimson football]] team and a member of the [[Fox Club (Harvard)|Fox Club]], worked on ''[[The Harvard Crimson]]'' newspaper as well as the ''[[Harvard Advocate]]'', and lived down the hall from fellow sophomore [[Bill Gates]]. He scored highly in the [[William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition]], an exam sponsored by the [[Mathematical Association of America]], scoring higher than Bill Gates.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/business/yourmoney/28ballmer.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |work=The New York Times |first=Steve |last=Lohr |title=Preaching From the Ballmer Pulpit |date=January 28, 2007 |access-date=February 20, 2017 |archive-date=December 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215135807/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/business/yourmoney/28ballmer.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Josefowitz |first=Nicholas F. |date=June 4, 2002 |title=Personable Ballmer Leads College Extracurriculars, Microsoft |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2002/6/4/personable-ballmer-leads-college-extracurriculars-microsoft/ |work=The Harvard Crimson |access-date=September 23, 2024 }}</ref> He graduated ''[[magna cum laude]]'' with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] in [[applied mathematics]] and economics in 1977.<ref>{{cite web |title=Steve Ballmer Biography – Microsoft CEO |url=http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/steve-ballmer/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004071133/http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/steve-ballmer/ |archive-date=October 4, 2013 |access-date=June 14, 2013 |publisher=Woopidoo.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=April 2, 2017 |title=Steve Ballmer Fast Facts |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/08/us/steve-ballmer-fast-facts/ |work=CNN Library |publisher=CNN |access-date=April 20, 2017 |archive-date=August 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814180323/https://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/08/us/steve-ballmer-fast-facts/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ballmer worked as an assistant product manager at [[Procter & Gamble]] for two years, where he shared an office with [[Jeff Immelt]], who later became CEO of [[General Electric]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2007-04-29-ballmer-ceo-forum-usat_N.htm|work=[[USA Today]]|title=CEO Forum: Microsoft's Ballmer having a 'great time{{'-}}|author=David Lieberman|date=April 29, 2007|quote=First job: Assistant product manager for [[Duncan Hines]]' Moist & Easy cakes and brownies. His cubicle mate was Jeffrey Immelt, now CEO of General Electric.|access-date=September 15, 2017|archive-date=July 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702111914/http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2007-04-29-ballmer-ceo-forum-usat_N.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> After briefly trying to write screenplays in Hollywood,<ref name="leibovich20001231">{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2000/12/31/alter-egos/91b267b0-858c-4d4e-a4bd-48f22e015f70/ |title=Alter Egos |last=Leibovich |first=Mark |date=December 31, 2000 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=June 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225224631/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2000/12/31/alter-egos/91b267b0-858c-4d4e-a4bd-48f22e015f70/ |archive-date=December 25, 2016 |issn=0190-8286 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> he started attending the [[Stanford Graduate School of Business]] for his MBA (where [[Mukesh Ambani]] was his classmate<ref>{{Cite news |title=Will Mukesh Ambani overtake his Stanford classmate Steve Ballmer to become world's 5th richest? |url=https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/will-mukesh-ambani-overtake-his-stanford-classmate-steve-ballmer-to-become-worlds-5th-richest-5550891.html |work=Moneycontrol}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Did you know: Microsoft's Steve Ballmer was Mukesh Ambani's classmate |url=https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/did-you-know-microsofts-steve-ballmer-was-mukesh-ambanis-classmate-2-3635685.html |work=Firstpost}}</ref>), but dropped out in 1980 to join Microsoft.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/02_24/b3787001.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020614172301/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/02_24/b3787001.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 14, 2002 |work=[[BusinessWeek]] |title=Ballmer's Microsoft |first1=Jay |last1=Greene |first2=Steve |last2=Hamm |first3=Jim |last3=Kerstetter |date=June 17, 2002 |quote=After two years, Ballmer headed for Stanford University's MBA program for a better grounding in business. When the fledgling Microsoft ran into problems in 1980, Gates persuaded his friend to drop out and give him a hand.}}</ref>