Paul Allen is one of the long lost and forgotten co-founders of the one of the biggest software companies in the world. 36 years ago, Paul along with Bill Gates co-founded Microsoft. Really? Oh yeah. Paul was the one who persuaded Gates to dropout from Harvard to start Microsoft. Paul and Bill share the same school in Seattle (Washington) and Paul was 2 years senior to Bill. They share the same passion for computers which eventually bring them together and Microsoft was born.
As of now Paul has no association with Microsoft and this might be the reason why many people does not know much about him. With time Paul and Bill’s view fall apart which eventually let Paul to leave Microsoft. Moreover Paul faced a near death experience when he was terminally ill with one of the rare form of cancers, but he survived and is now cancer free.
Paul’s new book called ‘Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft’ is out today. Paul Allen appeared on CBS 60 minutes (last Sunday), and this is one of the very few interviews he has ever given. In this interview Paul described his relationship with Bill Gates and described Bill as a gifted programmer and a tough taskmaster and a clever businessman. Paul did not stop here and portrays a very dark picture of Bill Gates. In Paul’s own words he called Gates abusive and at times described working with Gates as working in hell. Paul also brings out the fact that Bill Gates was a screamer and used to yell at people while making his point, he also commented that Bill did not gave up on the arguments that easily and at times these heated arguments between Gates and Paul took very ugly turn and continue for hours.
Paul felt cornered by the acts of Gates. Microsoft hired Steve Ballmer to help run the company and to make matters worse Paul came to know he had cancer and Bill is trying to dilute his shares in the company to nothing (this sounds familiar, watch Social Network and see how Zuckerberg along with Sean Parker diluted the shares of Eduardo Saverin who was one of the co-founders of Facebook). All this happened when Paul was in the middle of the radiation therapy and fighting cancer. Allen left Microsoft in 1983 and left his position at the Microsoft board in 2000. Paul sold around 68 million of shares (he still holds significant shares of Microsoft around 138 million). According to Wikipedia Paul Allen’s total net worth today is around $13 billion. Paul dropped down from the #3 spot on the world’s richest person list to #57 spot.
Paul is still unmarried and is described to be the man of many interests. Apart from computers and technology he is into sports and owns a NBA team and an NFL team, he is into traveling and he possessed a yacht (longer than a football field and has an attached submarine to it), he is into music, philanthropy, search for extra terrestrial life and Hollywood (he is one of the investors in the Dreamworks studio).
According to Paul he has no intentions on taking the revenge with Bill Gates by writing this book (Idea Man), all he wants to depict is to show how Microsoft came into existence and what all he goes through in making his dream come true. I guess ‘Idea Man’ should be the important piece in the history of technological developments with some dark shades. The ride won’t be easy, when someone is trying to change the face of technology. There are lots of sacrifices, harsh decisions, yelling & screaming and relationship constraints when you are discussing the very creation of something gigantic and massive as Microsoft. We are not in a position to judge the actions of Bill Gates and Paul Allen and their relationship with each other, all we know is Microsoft is the one responsible for making PC a house hold name, it is because of the efforts of the people like Gates and Allen you and me have computers everywhere and enjoy their exitence.
I guess ‘Idea Man’ should be a good and interesting read and it is on my reading list (whenever I get time). Till you grab your copy watch this CBS 60 minute video which is equally interesting and fun.
There is one more video of Gates & Allen (this is from the CBS as well).
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