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A few Washington state billionaires, from left: Steve Ballmer, MacKenzie Scott and Rich Barton. (Photos: GeekWire, Elena Seibert, Zillow)
Don’t tell Bernie Sanders, but Forbes’ latest World’s Billionaires list for 2025 contains 3,028 names — up 247 from a year ago. And they’re richer than ever, at $16.1 trillion in combined wealth.
While the richest person on the planet has no trouble attracting attention these days, you don’t have to get too far down the list from Elon Musk before you start running into the super rich who call Washington state home — there are a dozen of them.
From Steve Ballmer to MacKenzie Scott, Washington’s wealthy class includes Microsoft money, Amazon money and more across industries ranging from video games to coffee to real estate tech. (Remember to skip over No. 3 — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos bolted for Miami in 2023.)
Here are the details on Washington’s billionaires, with each person’s overall ranking and net worth:
10. Steve Ballmer, $118 billion.
The former CEO of Microsoft, he led the company from 2000 to 2014, and is now owner of the Los Angeles Clippers NBA team; founder of USAFacts; and co-founder of Ballmer Group
13. Bill Gates, $108 billion.
The Microsoft co-founder is chair of the Gates Foundation and founder of Breakthrough Energy.
58. Melinda French Gates, $30.4 billion.
The founder of Pivotal Ventures left her position as co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation after a nearly 24-year run.
68. MacKenzie Scott, $28.2, billion.
The author and philanthropist was married to Jeff Bezos for 25 years and has given away $19.25 billion to more than 2,450 non-profit teams over the past several years.
293. Gabe Newell, $9.5 billion.
President of Valve Corp., the video game developer he cofounded in 1998 with former Microsoft colleague Mike Harrington.
453. Charles Simonyi, $7.2 billion.
Early Microsoft employee behind some of the company’s most successful software, including Word and Excel.
1045. Howard Schultz, $3.5 billion.
Took charge of Starbucks in the 1980s and turned the regional coffee company into one of the world’s top brands.
1513. John Stanton, $2.4 billion.
The wireless pioneer is chairman of the Seattle Mariners baseball team, serving as managing partner of a group of investors that has owned the franchise since 2016.
1763. Craig McCaw, $2 billion.
Another wireless pioneer who, along with his brothers, took over their dad’s cable-TV business in 1966.
2623. Rich Barton, $1.2 billion.
Co-founder and CEO of Seattle real estate company Zillow Group and co-founder of travel giant Expedia.
2790. Orion Hindawi, $1.1 billion.
Co-founded cybersecurity firm Tanium with his father in 2007 before they moved from San Francisco to Seattle in 2020. Private investors valued the firm at $9 billion in June 2020.
2933. David Hindawi, $1 billion.
Co-founded cybersecurity firm Tanium with his son in 2007.
