Bill Gurley Bio - Business Chronicler

I have been looking deep into the life of Bill Gurley, who is most well known for being a venture capitalist at Benchmark, a firm in California. He also financed the start-up of Uber, which is now one of the most used taxi companies in the world.

Bill is thought of as one the biggest dealmakers in technology, which I think makes him a fascinating topic of conversation.

During this Bill Gurley bio, I will tell you all there is to know from his early career, private life, and family. However, I have to say, he seems like a highly private person, so there isn’t a great deal known about the other people in his life.

Bill Gurley Bio Facts

Full Name: John William Gurley

Birth Date: 10th of May 1966

Birth Place: Dickinson, Texas

Nick Name: Bill Gurley

Nationality: American

Siblings: Unknown

Children: Three Children

Partner / Spouse: Amy Gurley

Profession: Venture Capitalist

Salary: Unknown/Varied

Net Worth: $6.2 million and $8 billion worth of shares in Uber

Social Media: Bill Gurley (@bgurley) / Twitter – (2) Bill Gurley | Facebook – Bill Gurley (@bgurley) • Instagram photos and videos

Companies Associated With: Uber, Benchmark, Compaq Computer, Amazon, Dell, Microsoft, GrubHub, DogVacay, HackerOne, Brighter, Good Eggs, Nextdoor, Stitch Fix, Vessel, OpenTable, LiveOps, Linden Lab, Zillow, Scale Computing, Sailthru

Last Updated: August 2022

Bill Gurley Key Facts Summary

Bill is listed on the Forbes Midas List. [1]
Bill is most well known for his investments and his involvement with Benchmark.
He invested $11 million into the start-up of Uber, which he now holds an $8 billion share of.
During his career at Benchmark, he led investments in some well-established companies such as GrubHub and OpenTable.
He is a general partner for Silicon Valley venture capital firm, Benchmark.
Bill is considered a top dealmaker in the tech world. [2]
In 2020, The Wall Street Journal announced that Bill would be taking a step back from Benchmark as he wouldn’t be investing in a new fund raised by his venture capital.
Bill is a personal holder of a cryptocurrency company called Ethereum which he joined in 2021, three years after Vitalik Buterin launched it.
During the 2008 recession, he made himself known when he sent a letter to the CEOs of various companies, suggesting that they be cautious when spending money and instead make the most of opportunities. His advice during this time became one of the most talked about topics in the industry’s history.
Bill is known for his extraordinary height; he measures 6’9″.
He has served as a member of the Directors Board for companies such as Instawork, HackerOne, GoodEggs, Nextdoor, and Stich Fix.

Bill Gurley Birthplace and Early Life

Bill was born in Dickinson, Texas, just on the outskirts of Houston. As he is a very private person, nothing is known about his life as a child, such as his parents’ names or whether or not he had any siblings. He doesn’t even talk about where he went to school as a young boy.

In fact, the earliest we can go back to Bill’s education is when he graduated from the University of Florida in 1989 at the age of 23. He left university with a Bachelor of Science degree. [3]

During his years at university, he showed an interest in sports and was part of the men’s basketball team.

In 1993, Bill left the University of Texas McCombs School of Business with a Master’s degree in Administration. [4]

Bill Gurley Early Business Success

When Bill first entered the working world, he worked for the technical marketing company, Advanced Micro Devices, in the embedded processor division.

He was then an employee of Compaq Computer, where he was a design engineer. During his time at Compaq, he worked on projects such as Compaq’s first multi-processor server, 486/50.

Throughout his early career, he also spent four years working on Wall Street as a research analyst. He was called one of “Wall Street’s premier tech analysts” after he covered computer companies such as Dell, Microsoft, and Compaq. He was also the lead analyst for Amazon IPO before landing a role with Benchmark. [5]

Benchmark

Bill led numerous investments during his time at Benchmark, which included some massive names such as Nextdoor, OpenTable, DogVacay, [6] and Grubhub.

Of course, the list goes on regarding investments made by Bill, after all, he didn’t get the title “Top Dealmaker in Technology” for nothing. Other companies in which he was involved in the investments of, included JAMDAT Mobile, Demandforce, Avamar Technologies, Business.com, Nordstrom.com, Employees, and The Knot, to name a few.

Uber

You may have read that Bill’s net worth is around the $8 billion mark. Well, it kind of is, but this is mainly due to his early investment in Uber. Uber began as a taxi cab company which soon grew into one of the biggest transportation companies in global history. Uber is no longer just a ride company and now offers food delivery and bike and scooter rentals.

In 2011, Bill invested $11 million into Uber, in which he currently holds an $8 billion share.

He was on the Board of Directors for Uber, but he resigned from this post in 2017, the day after it had been announced that the CEO, Travis Kalanick, was leaving due to some controversy surrounding Uber’s corporate culture. [7]

I believe Bill’s decision to resign from the board was due to his close relationship with Travis. It was a significant loss to the board when Bill left because he was probably one of the most engaged members next to the CEO himself. But Bill stuck to his guns and supported his friend on Twitter, where he stated, “There will be many pages in the history books that are devoted to Travis; very few entrepreneurs have had such a lasting impact on the world.” [8]

Bill Gurley Videos

The Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference in San Francisco features Bill Gurley discussing the current venture capital landscape and his thoughts on Uber.

Benchmark’s Bill Gurley on VC Landscape and Uber – YouTube

Hear Malcolm Gladwell interview Bill on the SXSW stage. It’s an engaging conversation where the pair boast their wide-ranging knowledge on the subject of economics and entrepreneurship.

Bill Gurley & Malcolm Gladwell in Conversation | SXSW Live 2015 | SXSW ON – YouTube

Hear Bill Gurley in conversation with Rudy Cline-Thomas, the managing partner and founder of Mastry.

In Conversation with Bill Gurley | Players Tech Summit – YouTube

Bill Gurley Business Failures

From what I can tell, Bill has always been extremely proactive in making the right business choices at the right time. His morals and general business strategies have always been well planned and thought out, meaning that he has never encountered any significant failures and avoided controversies.

Bill Gurley Family

Unfortunately, I can’t tell you very much about the personal life of Bill’s family, and this is because he keeps all the details behind closed doors.

I can tell you that he has three children with his wife, Amy. Although some people rumor that the couple has since split up, when you check out his Facebook page, his cover picture remains a happy picture of him and Amy, which tells me the two are very much still together.

There isn’t any information made public about their three children, but after doing some digging, I was able to find a photograph of them which tells me they are mid to late teenagers, one girl, and two boys. I also believe that one of the boys attends Williams College in Massachusetts.

Bill is clearly a pretty down-to-earth man when it comes to his wife and children, and he appears to live an everyday family life despite his worth.

Bill Gurley Net Worth and Career Earnings

Bill has a personal net worth of $6.2 million, but he is a billionaire. This is because of the share he still holds in Uber, in which he owns a stake worth $8 billion. Quite a profit from the original $11 million he originally put into the company. [9]

His yearly salary is unclear, which is understandable because he invests in many different companies. The money coming in probably fluctuates massively year-to-year.

Bill Gurley Real Estate Holdings

Now, I know I said earlier that despite his wealth, he and his family live an extremely “normal” life; it won’t surprise you to learn that they live that very ordinary life in a beautiful home. But, I mean, who can blame him?

The location of his mansion is kept a secret, but reports suggest his home is worth $4.5 million and has six bedrooms, a swimming pool, and a large, impressive dining room. He shares the house with his wife Amy and his three children.

One thing he doesn’t keep a secret, though, is the cars he owns, which are 5 in total. He has a Volvo XC40, an Audi A6, a Rolls-Royce Ghost, a BMW X5, and a Land Rover Range Rover Velar.

Bill Gurley Quotes

Bill is a hugely influential person in the technology and investment world, and he has some inspirational views on how to be successful, get to the top, and how to make business history.

“It’s really hard to run a business against somebody who isn’t acting as though it were in business.”

“Marketing executives like big budgets, as big budgets make it easier to grow the top line.”

“Having an investor on your board of directors who is naive about the public market or finds them complex or scary is not an option.”

“You can not make money with an accurate consensus prediction.”

“No one is fearful, everyone is greedy, and it will eventually end.”

Bill Gurley Bio FAQs

Question: What is Bill Gurley Doing Now?

Answer: While still holding an $8 billion share in Uber, Bill is currently still working his way up the investment chain and continues to invest in start-up companies. He is settled in family life with his wife and three children.

Question: How Many Children Does Bill Gurley Have?

Answer: Bill Gurley has three children with his wife Amy, two boys and one girl. The children are in their mid to late teens, and the family lives together in a beautiful six-bedroom mansion. Their youngest boy attends Williams College in Massachusetts.

Question: Is Bill Gurley A Good Investor?

Answer: Bill is one of America’s best investors, dealmakers, and venture capitalists.

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Maddy Chiffey

Maddy Chiffey loves one thing: results. She knows how thrilling it is to come up with a business idea and watch it take off. So, she now dedicates her time to working as a content creator to help other people learn how to become successful. All of the content she creates on Business Chronicler is aimed at helping you learn, grow, and thrive as a business owner.