David Baszucki Net Worth
Net Worth: $4 Billion
Category: Richest Business › Richest Billionaires
Birthdate: January 20, 1963 (61 years old)
Birthplace: Canada
Profession: Entrepreneur, Engineer, Inventor
Nationality: United States of America
What Is David Baszucki’s Net Worth and Salary? David Baszucki is a Canadian-born American entrepreneur, inventor, and engineer with a net worth of $4 billion. He is the co-founder and CEO of Roblox Corporation, and he was previously the co-founder and CEO of Knowledge Revolution, which was acquired by MSC Software for $20 million in 1998.
Early Life
Background: David Baszucki was born on January 20, 1963, in Canada. He attended Eden Prairie High School in Minnesota, where he was the captain of the TV quiz team. He studied computer science and engineering at Stanford University, graduating in 1985 as a General Motors Scholar in electrical engineering.
Career
Knowledge Revolution: In the late ’80s, David and his brother Greg designed “Interactive Physics,” an educational supplement for creating 2D physics experiments. They co-founded Knowledge Revolution to distribute it. The company also developed “Working Model,” a mechanical design software. MSC Software acquired Knowledge Revolution in 1998, and David served as MSC’s vice president and general manager from 2000 to 2002.
Roblox: In 2004, Baszucki and Erik Cassel started working on a Roblox prototype called DynaBlocks, later renamed Roblox. The website launched in 2006. Roblox allows a global community of developers to produce their own immersive multiplayer experiences using Roblox Studio. Baszucki’s stake in Roblox Corporation, approximately 13%, is worth an estimated $4.2 billion. He has pledged to donate the net proceeds from Roblox’s New York Stock Exchange listing to philanthropic causes.
2020 Compensation: In 2020, David earned $6.8 million from Roblox.
2021 Compensation: In 2021, David’s total compensation from Roblox was $233 million, mainly from a package of restricted stock options that vest over several years.
Personal Life
Family: David lives in San Francisco with his wife, Jan Ellison, author of the bestseller “A Small Indiscretion: A Novel,” and their four children.
Philanthropy:
- UC San Francisco: From 2016 to 2021, David and Jan donated $6 million to UC San Francisco, leading to the establishment of the Baszucki Lymphoma Therapeutics Initiative in December 2021.
- Baszucki Group: Formed in March 2021, it established the Baszucki Brain Research Fund. The Milken Institute partnered with the fund to launch a grant program for advancing therapeutic discovery for bipolar disorder.
Social Impact: Following the 2020 murder of George Floyd, Baszucki wrote a blog post addressing systemic injustice and the need for equality.
Awards and Honors
- Goldman Sachs’ “100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs” (2017 and 2018)
- Comparably’s “Best CEOs for Diversity” (2018 and 2019)
- Bloomberg Businessweek’s “Bloomberg 50” (2021)
For more insights into David Baszucki’s ventures and contributions, keep exploring his journey from educational software to pioneering the Roblox platform.