Andrew Grigg, known as the LeBron James of spreadsheets, has won the Microsoft Excel World Championship for the third time. The 35-year-old from Waterford, Ireland, triumphed in the 2025 final held in Las Vegas, defeating a three-time champion from Australia. The event, which began as a niche competition, now draws hundreds of live spectators and is broadcast on ESPN.
Grigg first used Excel at university in Cork as a cheaper alternative to Mathematica. He later worked at a consultancy in London and a bank in New York, where he became the office expert. In 2013, he entered ModelOff, a financial modelling competition, winning it once before it ended in 2019. He then won the Financial Modelling World Cup twice, which rebranded as the Excel world championship.
The championship has evolved into a spectator sport, with head-to-head battles on giant screens and a live audience. Grigg describes the atmosphere as electric, with 500 people cheering in 2025. He was nervous for the semi-finals and final, but the final case—folding a virtual sheet of origami with Excel—suited his skills. He won $5,000, which he donated to the Against Malaria Foundation.
Grigg finds some theatrics, like the wrestling-style belt and hype tunnel, odd but acknowledges they work. He believes Excel can be fun, citing his models for a TV gameshow, football betting, and a Battleship game. However, he says the best part is the community: smart, curious, and welcoming people who prove Excel is far from boring.
