Gabe Newell

Gabe Newell is the co-founder and president of the American video game developer Valve Corporation. He previously worked at Microsoft and helped develop the first few Windows operating systems.

Newell attended Harvard University from 1980 to 1983. In 1983, he dropped out of Harvard to work at Microsoft. Newell had been visiting his brother at work, who also worked at Microsoft, when Steve Ballmer (now the president of the company) told him to "do something useful" since he was spending so much time there. Newell began learning software development from early Microsoft employees like Neil Konzen. After realizing he had learned more useful computer skills in just a few months at Microsoft than he had after a few years at Harvard, he dropped out of school to join Microsoft. During his time at Microsoft, Newell helped to create the first few Windows operating systems, versions 1.01, 1.02, and 1.03. In 1996, Newell and his coworker Mike Harrington left Microsoft with plans to establish Valve Corporation.

Valve Corporation is a video game developer and distribution company, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. Newell and Harrington founded Valve together in 1996. Valve has developed thirty-two games as of December 2021. It has also cancelled several games in development. Valve's most popular games include Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Portal, and Dota 2. Valve is well-known for its gaming platform Steam, one of the biggest PC gaming platforms today. Steam was created in 2003 and has over 120 million active users as of January 2021. Valve receives 30% of each game sale on Steam until the game's total sales surpass $10 million, at which point it lowers to 25% until it reaches $50 million, when it lowers again to 20%.

Newell has been vocal about his views and criticisms of modern gaming platforms. In 2007, he called the Playstation 3 a "waste of time." In 2010, Newell described Xbox Live's restrictive downloadable content rules as a "trainwreck." In 2012, Newell stated, "Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space," in regards to it being a closed-source software. Newell is especially critical of closed-source or otherwise restricted platforms. In 2017, Newell said he originally thought the Nintendo DS was "stupid" and that Sony's handheld gaming devices would perform better in the market.

Newell is a multibillionaire, with a net worth of approximately $4.1 billion. He is ranked #705 on Forbes' 2021 list of richest people in the world. Newell previously suffered from Fuchs' dystrophy but was fully cured with two successful cornea transplants, one in 2006 and one in 2007. Newell was awarded with a BAFTA Fellowship in 2013 for his contributions to the gaming development field. In November 2012, Newell was the 17th inductee into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' Hall of Fame.