Paul Gardner Allen (January 21, 1953 – October 15, 2018) was an American businessman, computer programmer, and investor. He co-founded Microsoft Corporation with his childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975, which was followed by the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s. Allen discovered the wrecks of various famous warships, like the IJN Musashi and USS Indianapolis, and was ranked as one of the richest people in American history by Forbes, with an estimated net worth of $20.3 billion at the time of his death in October 2018.[1][2]
Allen quit from day-to-day work at Microsoft in early 1983 after a Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis, remaining on its board as vice-chairman. He and his sister, Jody Allen, founded Vulcan Inc. in 1986,[3] a privately held company that managed his business and philanthropic efforts. At the time of his death, he had a multi-billion dollar investment portfolio, including technology and media companies, scientific research, real estate holdings, private space flight ventures and stakes in other sectors. He owned the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association, and was part-owner of the Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer. Under the Allen Estate's helm, the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII, LX, and made it to two other Super Bowls (XLIX, XL). In 2000 he resigned from his position on Microsoft's board and assumed the post of senior strategy advisor to the company's management team.
Allen founded the Allen Institutes for Brain Science,[4] Artificial Intelligence,[5] and Cell Science,[6] as well as companies like Stratolaunch Systems[7] and Apex Learning.[8] He gave more than $2 billion to causes such as education, wildlife and environmental conservation, the arts, healthcare and community services. In 2004, he funded the first crewed private spaceplane with SpaceShipOne.[9] He received numerous awards and honors and was listed among the Time 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2007 and 2008.
Allen was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2009. He died of septic shock related to cancer on October 15, 2018, at the age of 65. Shortly after his death, in April 2019, the Allen-funded Stratolaunch first flew and became the largest aircraft in history by wingspan.
Early life
Allen was born on January 21, 1953, in Seattle, Washington, to Kenneth Sam Allen (a librarian)[10] and Edna Faye (née Gardner) Allen[11] (a fourth-grade teacher).[12] From 1965 to 1971 he attended Lakeside School,[13] a private school in Seattle where he befriended Bill Gates, with whom he shared an enthusiasm for computers.[13] They used Lakeside's Teletype terminals to develop their programming skills on several time-sharing computer systems.[14] They also used the laboratory of the Computer Science Department of the
Microsoft
Allen and Gates formed Microsoft in 1975 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and began marketing a BASIC programming language interpreter, with their first employee being high school friend and collaborator Ric Weiland.[23][14] Allen came up with the name of "Micro-Soft", a combination of "microcomputer" and "software".[24]
Microsoft committed to delivering a disk operating system (DOS) to IBM for the original IBM PC in 1980, although they had not yet developed one, and Allen spearheaded a deal for Microsoft to purchase QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) written by Tim Paterson who was employed at Seattle Computer Products.[25][26] As a result of this transaction, Microsoft secured a contract to supply the DOS that ran on IBM's PC line, which opened the door to Allen's and Gates' wealth and success.
Businesses and investments
Financial and technology
- Vulcan Capital is an investment arm of Allen's Seattle-based Vulcan Inc., which has managed his personal fortune. In 2013, Allen opened a new Vulcan Capital office in Palo Alto, California, to focus on making new investments in emerging technology and internet companies.[39]
- Patents: Allen held 43 patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.[40]
- Apps: Allen backed A.R.O., the startup behind the mobile app Saga;[41] SportStream, a social app for sports fans;[42] and a content-management app called
Philanthropy
Allen gave more than $2 billion towards the advancement of science, technology, education, wildlife conservation, the arts, and community services in his lifetime.[109] The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, which he founded with his sister Jody, was established to administer a portion of Allen's philanthropic contributions. As of 2015, the foundation had given more than $494 million to over 1,500 nonprofits.[110]
in 2010, Allen became a signatory of The Giving Pledge, promising to give at least half of his fortune to philanthropic causes.[111] Allen received commendations for his philanthropy, including the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy[112] and Inside Philanthropy's "Philanthropist of the Year".
Science and research
Personal life
While Allen expressed interest in romantic love and one day having a family,[175] he never married and had no children.[176] His marriage plans with his first girlfriend were cancelled as he felt he "was not ready to marry at 23".[30] He was sometimes considered reclusive.[177][178] In the 1990s, he purchased Rock Hudson's Los Angeles estate from film director John Landis and added the Neptune Valley recording studio to the property. Allen's family put the home on the market for $56 million after his death.[179]
Idea Man
In 2011, Allen's memoir, Idea Man: A Memoir by the Co-founder of Microsoft, was published by Portfolio, a Penguin Group imprint. The book recounts how Allen became enamored with computers and, at an early age, conceived the idea for Microsoft, recruited his friend Bill Gates to join him, and launched what would become the world's most successful software company. It also explores Allen's business and creative ventures following his 1983 departure from Microsoft, including his involvement in SpaceShipOne, his purchase of the Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Seahawks, his passion for music, and his ongoing support for scientific research. The book made the New York Times Best Seller list. A paperback version, which included a new epilogue, was published on October30, 2012.[195][196]
Death
Allen was diagnosed with Stage 1-A Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1982.[32] His cancer was successfully treated by several months of radiation therapy.[29] Allen was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2009. Likewise, the cancer was successfully treated until it returned in 2018. It ultimately caused his death by septic shock on October 15, 2018.[197][198] He was 65 years old.[199][200] Allen's sister, Jody Allen, was named executor and trustee of his estate.[201]
Awards and recognition
Allen received numerous awards in many different areas, including sports, technology, philanthropy, and the arts:
- In 2004, Allen, Burt Rutan, Doug Shane, Mike Melvill, and Brian Binnie won the Collier Trophy for SpaceShipOne.[9]
- On March 9, 2005, Allen, Rutan, and the rest of the SpaceShipOne team were awarded the 2005 National Air and Space Museum Trophy for Current Achievement.[205]
- In 2007 and 2008, Allen was listed among the Time 100 Most Influential People in The World.[206]
- He received the Vanguard Award from the National Cable & Telecommunications Association on May 20, 2008.[207]
See also
- Altair 8800
- Black Sky: The Race for Space, a 2005 documentary about Allen, SpaceShipOne and the Ansari X Prize.
- List of select cases of Hodgkin lymphoma
- Open Letter to Hobbyists
- Pirates of Silicon Valley, a 1999 film about the rise of the PC. Allen is portrayed by Josh Hopkins.
Further reading
- Rich, Laura, The Accidental Zillionaire: Demystifying Paul Allen, Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2003. ISBN 0-471-23491-5.
External links
- Paul Allen entry from the Oregon Encyclopedia
- Paul Allen at THOCP.net
- Business profile at Forbes
- Bloomberg Billionaires Index entry
References
- #21 Pito Allen – 2018 Forbes 400 Net Worth Forbes, retrieved October 12, 2018^
- Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen dies of cancer at age 65 CNBC, October 15, 2018, retrieved October 16, 2018^
- Leadership Vulcan.com, retrieved July 6, 2016