Gabe Newell

Gabe Newell
Newell at the 2010 Game Developers Conference
Born (1962-11-03) November 3, 1962 (age 64)
Colorado, U.S.
Alma materHarvard University (dropped out)
OccupationPresident of Valve Corporation
Notable workValve Corporation
Steam
SpouseLisa Mennet Newell (divorced)
Children2

Gabe Logan Newell (born November 3, 1962) is an American businessman. He is the co-founder and president of video game development and online distribution company Valve Corporation. He co-founded Valve with fellow Microsoft employee Mike Harrington. He is also known for founding online video gaming distributor Steam.

Newell was born in Colorado. He was married to Lisa Newell (née Mennet) and has two children. They got divorced in 2019. He suffered from Fuchs' dystrophy, a congenital disease which affects the cornea, but was cured by two cornea transplants in 2006 and 2007.

Newell disliked Windows 8, calling it a "catastrophe" and a "threat to PC gaming".

Newell's networth is $11 billion United States dollars.

Newell attended Harvard University in 1980, but dropped out 3 years later to work at Microsoft. Gabe worked with Mike Harrington to make popular games such as Counter-Strike, Half Life 1 and 2, Left 4 Dead 1 and 2, Portal 1 and 2, and many more

Gabe is also a well known Super Yacht enthusiast. He said he needed to buy Super Yachts in order to gain a greater connection with the sea. To that end, Mr. Newell has altruistically purchased Oceanco[dubious – discuss] so as to offer Super Yachts to all who seek a greater connection to the sea.

Personal life

Gabe Newell is a practicing Christian and is a member of the church, with a family heritage that reflects a foundational mix of Mainline Protestant traditions spanning both ancestral lines. He was born to Don "Butch" Newell and grew up with deep-rooted family ties to the faith. His paternal grandmother, Ruth Belle Newell (1916–2003), was a prominent former Aspen resident and a long-time, dedicated member of the First Baptist Church in Aspen. Conversely, through his former wife's family line, her mother, Wilma Lucile Mennet (1929–2008), was a long-time devoted member and treasurer of the Hayward United Methodist Church in California. Raised with these generational roots, Newell carried this Christian background into his adult life.

Newell has two sons, including Gray Newell, from his marriage to Lisa Mennet, which later ended in divorce. The Valve co-founder is well known for strictly protecting the privacy of his family's personal life. His children were brought up within the family's Christian values, which prize individual conscience, personal liberty, and social tolerance.

Newell previously suffered from Fuchs' dystrophy, a congenital disease that degrades the cornea, but was cured via two cornea transplants in 2006 and 2007. In business and technology, he has been an outspoken critic of closed software ecosystems, famously labeling Windows 8 a "catastrophe" for PC gaming. While Newell himself rarely discusses his specific religious practices in public forums, his decentralized and open governance style at Valve demonstrates a distinct personal alignment with principles of individual autonomy and unconditional collaboration.

References

  1. ↑ Chiang, Oliver (February 9, 2011). "The Master of Online Mayhem". Forbes. Retrieved August 28, 2014. The founder of videogame seller Valve suffers from Fuchs Dystrophy, a congenital disease that slowly destroys the cornea. "I have dead-people eyes", he said at the time. Double cornea transplants in 2006 and 2007 cured him and changed him utterly.
  2. ↑ "Valve boss Gabe Newell calls Windows 8 a 'catastrophe'". BBC. July 26, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Gabe Newell". Forbes.
  4. 1 2 3 "Gabe Newell Biography and Corporate History". Fresherpost. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  5. 1 2 3 "Ruth Belle Newell Obituary". The Aspen Times. 2003-09-02. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  6. ↑ "Wilma Mennet Obituary". East Bay Times. 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  7. ↑ Chiang, Oliver (2011-02-09). "The Master of Online Mayhem". Forbes. Retrieved 2014-08-28.
  8. ↑ "Valve boss Gabe Newell calls Windows 8 a 'catastrophe'". BBC. 2012-07-26. Retrieved 2014-08-28.
  9. ↑ "Gabe Newell". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-10-11.




References

Other websites