Probst worked for
Johnson & Johnson and
Clorox before being recruited into the
video game industry through
Activision in 1982.
Electronic Arts In 1984 Probst joined EA as vice president for sales, a position he held until 1986. He then took on the role of the company's senior vice president of the publishing division from 1986 until 1990. Probst was promoted to president of
Electronic Arts in 1990, remaining in that position until 1997. In 1991, Probst also became CEO of
Electronic Arts, a position he held 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 retained his non-operational duties as chairman. He then worked as executive chairman of Electronic Arts from March 18, 2013, to January 1, 2015. 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. In addition to his work at
Electronic Arts, Probst also was the chairman of Digital Entertainment Corporation of America.{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=175326&privcapId=27963|title=Lawrence F. Probst III ==Olympic career==