Steven Rales

Steven M. Rales is an American businessman and film producer. He founded Danaher Corporation with his brother Mitchell Rales in 1984 and is its chairman. Rales also founded the film production company Indian Paintbrush in 2006, which works closely with filmmaker Wes Anderson. His work with Anderson has resulted in three Academy Award nominations, winning Best Live Action Short Film for The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023). Rales also owns the media distribution companies Janus Films and The Criterion Collection and holds a 20% stake in the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His net worth was estimated by Forbes in 2024 to be $8.9 billion.

• Steven Rales and his brother Mitchell acquired a REIT in 1983 and merged it into their firm Danaher, named after a Montana creek.
• Focused on tax avoidance and cash flow, they acquired more than three dozen companies and turned Danaher into a diversified firm.
• Rales serves as chairman of the board at Danaher, which had around $25 billion in sales in 2025.
• In 2021, he and his brother each transferred Danaher shares worth more than $1.5 billion to their charitable foundations.
• In 2023, Rales purchased an additional 15% stake in the NBA's Indiana Pacers; he now owns 20% of the franchise.