Tom Steyer

Thomas Fahr Steyer (; born June 27, 1957) is an American billionaire, entrepreneur, and environmentalist. A member of the Democratic Party, Steyer is the founder and former co-senior managing partner of Farallon Capital.

Born in New York City, Steyer graduated from Yale University and Stanford University. After retiring from Farallon in 2012, Steyer founded NextGen America (a political action committee) and resigned from NextGen after announcing his presidential bid in 2019.

Steyer sought the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, but dropped out of the race after the first four state contests, having spent more than $191 million on campaign advertising but failing to obtain any pledged delegates. In November 2025, Steyer announced his candidacy in the 2026 California gubernatorial election.

Early life and education

Steyer was born in Manhattan, New York City. His mother, Marnie (née Fahr), was a teacher of remedial reading at the Brooklyn House of Detention and his father, Roy Henry Steyer was a partner in the New York law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell, and was a prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials. His father was Jewish and his mother was Episcopalian.

Steyer grew up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and attended the Buckley School and Phillips Exeter Academy as valedictorian of his class. He graduated from Yale University summa cum laude in economics and political science, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He was captain of the soccer team. At Yale, Steyer was a member of Wolf's Head Society Steyer received his MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar.