- Pete Ballmer, son of former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, said in a podcast that he’s not entirely comfortable growing up rich and having a famous tech executive for a father
- “It’s not something I’ve made part of my identity,” he said during the Feb. 13 episode. sweets in cash podcast
- However, the 29-year-old stand-up comedian acknowledged his privilege and said “people will fall for you” when you become a billionaire
Peter Ballmer, son of former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, talks candidly about what it was like growing up rich.
The former project manager turned stand-up comedian, 29, admitted in a recent episode sweets in cash podcast that he is “deeply embarrassed” about having a famous billionaire father.
“It’s not something I wanted to be a part of who I am,” he said on the Feb. 13 episode. “It’s not something I’ve made part of my identity.”
Steve Ballmer, who led Microsoft from 2000 to 2014 after Bill Gates stepped down, currently has an estimated net worth of over $122 billion, according to Forbes.
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Still, Pete said his parents kept him and his brother’s childhood relatively normal, and said he drove his dad’s vintage 1998 Lincoln and received $10 a week in pocket money as a child.
“They didn’t grow up with money,” he said, noting that his parents had the idea that they “didn’t want to be wasteful with money” and “didn’t want to spend if they didn’t have to.” ”
But since everyone knew who his father was, he faced some challenges.
“It was once after a seventh grade lacrosse game [that] somehow the whole other team knew who I was,” he said. As opposing team members said “good game” and shook hands, Pete said they told him, “Apple is better.”
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But Pete was also candid about his privilege, describing how his family once went on a trip to visit the Statue of Liberty in New York and had access to an exclusive lunch while others waited in line to order food.
“When you’re a billionaire … people will fall for you,” he remarked.
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By college and his early 20s, Pete noticed that people still knew who he was, but “a lot less,” which gave him the ability to avoid being associated with his father. When he first started doing stand-up in college, he said he went by the stage name “Pete Bronson” to try to distance himself.
The comedian did manage to take advantage of some of his wealth, however, including tipping his dad to buy the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team and opportunities to meet former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
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As for his current financial situation, Pete says he mostly spends money on Uber, DoorDash, and even “perks” like flight change fees.
However, the comedian highlighted one “funny” comment he gets when people tell him he’ll be “really rich” one day.
“I’m like, ‘Yeah, are you asking me if I’m going to be excited about my parents dying?'” he joked.
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Source: HIS Education