Paul Allen

Lore & Background

Allen was born in Seattle to Kenneth Sam Allen, a librarian, and Edna Faye Allen, a fourth-grade teacher. He attended Lakeside School, where he befriended Bill Gates and shared an enthusiasm for computers. They formed the Lakeside Programming Club and later Traf-O-Data. Allen achieved a perfect SAT score of 1600 and attended Washington State University, dropping out after two years to work as a programmer for Honeywell near Harvard, where he convinced Gates to drop out to focus on Microsoft.

Allen and Gates formed Microsoft in 1975 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, marketing a BASIC programming language interpreter. Allen came up with the name 'Micro-Soft.' He spearheaded the deal to purchase QDOS from Seattle Computer Products, which led to Microsoft's contract to supply DOS for IBM's PC line. Allen left day-to-day work at Microsoft in early 1983 after a Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis, remaining on its board as vice-chairman. He resigned from the board in 2000 but stayed as senior strategy advisor.

Allen founded Vulcan Inc. in 1986 with his sister Jody Allen. He owned the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers, and was part-owner of the Seattle Sounders FC. He founded the Allen Institutes for Brain Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Cell Science, as well as Stratolaunch Systems and Apex Learning. He funded the first crewed private spaceplane, SpaceShipOne, in 2004. He discovered the wrecks of the Japanese battleship Musashi and USS Indianapolis.

Reader's Guide

Paul Allen's significance lies in his role as co-founder of Microsoft, a company that catalyzed the microcomputer revolution and shaped the personal computing industry. His early partnership with Bill Gates and his strategic move to acquire QDOS for IBM's PC line were pivotal to Microsoft's success. After leaving day-to-day operations, Allen became a major philanthropist and investor, giving more than $2 billion to education, conservation, the arts, and healthcare. He founded research institutes and backed private spaceflight, including the first crewed private spaceplane. His ownership of professional sports teams and discovery of historic warship wrecks further diversified his legacy. Allen's death from septic shock related to cancer in 2018 marked the end of an era, but his contributions to technology, science, and philanthropy continue to influence multiple fields.

Did You Know?

• Allen achieved a perfect SAT score of 1600.
• He discovered the wrecks of the Japanese battleship Musashi and USS Indianapolis.
• He funded the first crewed private spaceplane, SpaceShipOne, in 2004.
• At the time of his death, he held 100 million shares of Microsoft.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Paul Gardner Allen (21 January 1953 – 15 October 2018) was an American business magnate, investor and philanthropist. He co-founded Microsoft alongside Bill Gates." — Paul Allen "I’m always interested in finding ways to innovate … . It’s a blend; it’s not a point focus." — Paul Allen "There are relatively few ideas that you can do just by yourself." — Paul Allen "There’s going to be reversals. You have to be ready, to be philosophical about that." — Paul Allen