Microsoft’s former CEO Steve Ballmer says ‘I feel silly’, shares letter he sent to judge against founder of the fintech who he lost millions to – The Times of India

Microsoft’s former CEO Steve Ballmer is quite angry with Joseph Sanberg, the founder of once high-flying fintech startup Aspiration Partners. Ballmer invested millions in the Aspiration Partners, along with several other tech celebrities. Green fintech startup Aspiration Partners offered what it called sustainable banking services like credit cards and investment products that avoided fossil fuels. The startup promised to “automatically plant trees with every card purchase.” In 2021, it announced plans to go public via a SPAC merger at a value of $2.3 billion, a transaction that never took place.In August 2025, Sanberg pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and defrauding multiple investors and lenders. Ahead of sentencing next week, investors who Sandberg defrauded were invited to describe their experience to the judge. Ballmer seemingly decided to do so publicly. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Ballmer shared the letter his lawyers have sent on his behalf where he…