Robert Pera

Net worth over time

Forbes estimates of Robert Pera's net worth each year, next to the Forbes value of the Memphis Grizzlies. From 2012 to now the net worth went from $1.5B to $29.6B, about 20 times as much.

Yearly points are from the Forbes billionaires lists, mostly the spring World's Billionaires list; the last point is the latest Forbes real-time figure, which can differ a lot from the spring list. Years without a published figure are skipped.

The businesses in detail

How the main business makes money. Ubiquiti designs networking hardware and sells it mostly through distributors. Buyers are small businesses, internet providers and tech-minded homes. It has no traditional sales force and relies on an online community of users and resellers, which keeps prices low. UniFi gear for businesses and homes brought in $2.97B of the $3.27B; gear for internet providers brought $302M. Gross margin, the share of sales left after the cost of goods, was 46.2%. A $1-a-share quarterly dividend pays him roughly $225M a year.

Biggest deals.

• 2005: he launched Ubiquiti with about $30,000 of savings and credit-card debt. Customer prepayments, not venture capital, funded manufacturing.
• March 2010: Ubiquiti bought back about 28.4M of his shares at $2.95, about $83.9M.
• 13 October 2011: Ubiquiti listed 7.04M shares at $15, raising $30.5M.
• April 2018: he bought out two partners at a team valuation of $1.3B to $1.4B.
• No acquisitions by Ubiquiti were found; the company has grown from its own sales.

Career path

1. 2003

   Joins Apple, testing Wi-Fi hardware on about $65,000 a year

2. 2005

   Leaves Apple to run Ubiquiti full time; first products ship in June

3. 2011

   Ubiquiti lists on the stock market; he becomes a billionaire

4. 2012

   Buys the Grizzlies at 34, one of the league's youngest owners

5. 2013

   Cuts his Ubiquiti salary to $0

6. 2018

   Buys out partners Steve Kaplan and Daniel Straus; Ubiquiti revenue passes $1B

7. 2025

   Ubiquiti revenue reaches $2.57B; city and team reach a plan for $550M of arena renovations

8. 2026

   Ubiquiti revenue reaches $3.27B and net income $960.3M

Teams and sports assets

Owns now 3

• teamMemphis GrizzliesNBA · Basketball · USSince 2012 · controlling; exact stake not published (under 30% at purchase) · $377M for the team, paid by his group
• teamGrizzlies shares bought from Steve Kaplan and Daniel StrausNBA · Basketball · USSince 2018 · About 28% to 30% · Team valued at $1.3B to $1.4B (ESPN), implying roughly $364M to $420M
• arenaFedExForum (operator)NBA · Basketball · USSince 2012 · Operated through Memphis Basketball LLC; building owned by the City of Memphis and Shelby County

Other investments and assets

• Companies and funds: None found beyond Ubiquiti, which is almost all of his wealth. The team runs its own media arm, Grind City Media.
• Property: None found.
• Family in the business: None found in either business.

Giving and politics

• He supports the Grizzlies Foundation, the team's Memphis charity.
• No political donations or public offices were found.
• Public money backs his arena: Tennessee approved $350M in 2023 for FedExForum and the Liberty Bowl stadium combined.

How they run their teams

• ESPN reported in 2016 that he was mostly absent and kept minority owners out of decisions.
• He rarely speaks publicly and writes to season-ticket holders by email, Memphis media noted in 2018.
• A dispute with Kaplan over team shares was settled confidentially, ESPN reported.
• He approved the cost-driven Rudy Gay trade in January 2013 and fired coach David Fizdale in November 2017.
• The arena lease ends after 2028-29. On 10 June 2026 a Memphis chamber leader said the team will sign and stay for decades. On 8 October 2026 the city-county Sports Authority voted on a renovation construction contract. No new lease had been signed as of 13 October, Roundtable reported, citing The Daily Memphian.

What they have said

• At his first press conference, he said Memphis is the real owner even though he holds control.
• He set three goals: compete, build the brand and improve the community, likening this to Ubiquiti's mission of connecting underserved people.
• In a web chat, he defended trading the team's top scorer to cut salary, arguing teams have won titles without a superstar.
• In the same chat, he answered doubts about the ownership group's finances.
• Announcing the 2018 buyout, he told season-ticket holders a hard season had strengthened his commitment to Memphis.

Little-known facts

• In Ubiquiti's early days he lived for months in a $650-a-month office opposite the San Jose courthouse.
• His first Apple performance review rated him 2 out of 5.
• In 2014 Ubiquiti paid $504,225 to the U.S. Treasury's sanctions office over alleged Iran-related sales in 2008-2011. The matter is settled.
• The Grizzlies rank last on all three major valuation lists, yet are worth about ten times the purchase price.