Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft CEO and founder of USAFacts, presents the USAFacts Annual Report on the U.S. government. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota)

Steve Ballmer and the LA Clippers made headlines this summer with one of the biggest deals in NBA free agent history, but the former Microsoft CEO isn’t content with merely trying to build a world championship basketball team.

He’s also on a mission to ground the national conversation in an understanding of the numbers and trends behind the key issues facing the country.

That is Ballmer’s quest with his team at USAFacts, the nonprofit civic data initiative that he founded in 2015. From our work together on the Numbers Geek podcast, we know first-hand that he’s pursuing the nonpartisan initiative with the same enthusiasm he applies to basketball and business. In July, he presented to more than 200 U.S. Senators and Members of Congress, on both sides of the aisle.

Next stop: the GeekWire Summit.

Ballmer will join us for an on-stage interview in October at our flagship technology conference, bringing a unique perspective that spans technology, business, philanthropy, sports and the future of the country.

The GeekWire Summit takes place this year at the new Hyatt Regency in downtown Seattle. The event, now in its 8th year, is known for in-depth interviews and inspiring talks from leaders in tech, business, science, and other key sectors of innovation and economic growth. This year we’ll explore trends in AI and robotics, privacy and surveillance, health tech, travel, venture capital, startups, media and more.

We’ll kick things off the evening of Oct. 7, followed by two full days of content.

Find more details and register on the GeekWire Summit event page or below.

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