Larry Probst

Larry Probst
Larry Probst in Sochi, February 2014
Born	Lawrence F. Probst III (1950-06-03) June 3, 1950 (age 66)
Education	Business administration
Alma mater	University of Delaware
Occupation	Chairman, Electronic Arts Chairman, United States Olympic Committee
Known for	Extensive work with and employment with Electronic Arts
Board member of	Electronic Arts
Spouse(s)	Nancy Probst
Children	2

Lawrence F. "Larry" Probst III is an American businessman who is best known for his work with the video game maker Electronic Arts, including acting as CEO from 1991 until 2007 and as executive chairman from 2013 to 2014. He remains chairman of EA and serves as chairman of the United States Olympic Committee.

Probst was born on July 6, 1950. He is the son of Ruth (née Gallagher) and Lawrence F. Probst, Jr. He has a wife, Nancy, and two sons, Scott and Chip. Probst went to college and graduated with a bachelor's degree from University of Delaware.

Probst worked for Johnson & Johnson and Clorox before being recruited into the video game industry through Activision in 1982. Two years later he joined EA as vice president for sales until 1986. He then took on the role of the company's senior vice president of the publishing division from 1986 to 1990. Probst became president of Electronic Arts from 1990 to 1997. During this time, he was also pronounced CEO of Electronic Arts in 1991, which he held onto until April 2007. Next Generation named his one of the "75 Most Important People in the Games Industry of 1995", remarking that "Probst may not be as colorful a character as his predecessor [ Trip Hawkins], but he does seem adept at combining the freedom and daring of creativity with the restraints and common sense of a commercial operation."

When president and chief operating officer John Riccitiello resigned in April 2004, Probst became his successor. Riccitiello was re-hired as CEO in 2007, Probst then retained his non-operational duties as chairman. He then worked as executive chairman of Electronic Arts Inc. from March 18, 2013, to January 1, 2015, and former chief executive officer of the company.

According to EA's 2005 Annual Report, Probst is the biggest individual shareholder in EA, owning 739,761 shares and the right to acquire a further 3.1 million, which combined accounts for 1.2 percent of the company. Probst sits on the boards of two cancer research groups: the V Foundation and ABC2.