Elaine Thompson/AP
- Bill Gates' former assistant is now wealthier than his old boss for the first time.
- Steve Ballmer, who succeeded Gates as Microsoft CEO, is worth an estimated $157 billion.
- Microsoft stock has surged amid a broader AI boom, boosting Ballmer's net worth.
A former assistant to Bill Gates has scaled the ranks of the world's wealthiest people to become richer than his old boss for the first time.
Steve Ballmer's fortune more than doubled from $77 billion in November 2022 to $157.2 billion at Monday's close, putting him sixth on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.