Paul Allen

Parental support and flexibility, even when parents disagree with your choices, creates space for children to pursue their own paths and develop independence.

Paul's father disapproved of his decision to leave Washington State University and move to Boston to work at Honeywell, saying it seemed like a distraction from school. However, his parents ultimately supported the decision, allowing Paul to make his own mistake or success.

“My dad was less than enthusiastic. This software work seems to be a distraction. He said I don't agree with your choice, but you're old enough to make your own decisions. Regardless of what they thought, my parents always did what they could do to support me.”

Friendships between business partners can survive partnership dissolution if both parties maintain respect and care for each other beyond the business relationship.

Despite years of conflict and Paul's eventual departure from Microsoft, Bill Gates remained one of Paul's most regular visitors during his final illness with lymphoma. Paul reflects that their relationship was complex but enduring, with both rooting for each other even when barely speaking.

“One of my most regular visitors was Bill Gates. He was everything you'd want from a friend, caring and concerned. I was reminded of the complexity of our relationship and how we always rooted for each other, even when we were barely speaking.”

Parental support and flexibility, even when parents disagree with your choices, creates space for children to pursue their own paths and develop independence.

Paul's father disapproved of his decision to leave Washington State University and move to Boston to work at Honeywell, saying it seemed like a distraction from school. However, his parents ultimately supported the decision, allowing Paul to make his own mistake or success.

“My dad was less than enthusiastic. This software work seems to be a distraction. He said I don't agree with your choice, but you're old enough to make your own decisions. Regardless of what they thought, my parents always did what they could do to support me.”

Friendships between business partners can survive partnership dissolution if both parties maintain respect and care for each other beyond the business relationship.

Despite years of conflict and Paul's eventual departure from Microsoft, Bill Gates remained one of Paul's most regular visitors during his final illness with lymphoma. Paul reflects that their relationship was complex but enduring, with both rooting for each other even when barely speaking.

“One of my most regular visitors was Bill Gates. He was everything you'd want from a friend, caring and concerned. I was reminded of the complexity of our relationship and how we always rooted for each other, even when we were barely speaking.”

Combine passion with curiosity by exploring where emerging technologies intersect with unmet needs, rather than waiting for validation from established experts.

Paul Allen saw an advertisement for the Altair 8800 microcomputer in Popular Electronics and immediately recognized it as the moment to apply the BASIC language idea he and Bill Gates had discussed. While established computer scientists dismissed microcomputers as a fad, Allen and Gates trusted their own reasoning and the hard evidence of customer demand.

“In Boston and the Bay Area in labs and corporations like Honeywell, microcomputers were viewed as a passing fad, but the doubters didn't faze us. We were certain that the tech establishment was wrong and we were right. And the proof came each day in the mail sacks, bulging with orders for the Altair and our BASIC.”

Combine passion with curiosity by exploring where emerging technologies intersect with unmet needs, rather than waiting for validation from established experts.

Paul Allen saw an advertisement for the Altair 8800 microcomputer in Popular Electronics and immediately recognized it as the moment to apply the BASIC language idea he and Bill Gates had discussed. While established computer scientists dismissed microcomputers as a fad, Allen and Gates trusted their own reasoning and the hard evidence of customer demand.

“In Boston and the Bay Area in labs and corporations like Honeywell, microcomputers were viewed as a passing fad, but the doubters didn't faze us. We were certain that the tech establishment was wrong and we were right. And the proof came each day in the mail sacks, bulging with orders for the Altair and our BASIC.”

Honesty and direct communication about grievances, even in partnerships, is better than letting resentment fester and damage the relationship irreparably.

Rather than confront Bill directly about his frustrations, Paul wrote a letter and eventually quit. He notes that his unvoiced grievances hung in the air, unstated and unresolved, poisoning the partnership. The relationship recovered eventually, but years of communication problems created unnecessary damage.

“Too angry and proud to make an emotional appeal, I never went in and told Bill point blank, some days working with you is like being in hell. So my grievances hung in the air, unstated and unresolved.”

Be cautious of founder personalities who view the company as an extension of their identity, as this creates unhealthy dynamics and can lead to unfair treatment of other founders.

Paul observed that Bill Gates was so utterly identified with Microsoft that he got confused about where the company ended and he began. This personality trait drove Bill to claim increasingly larger equity stakes and to make decisions that prioritized the company's growth over Paul's wellbeing.

“Sometimes it seemed that Bill was so utterly identified with Microsoft that he'd get confused about where the company left off and he began.”

Honesty and direct communication about grievances, even in partnerships, is better than letting resentment fester and damage the relationship irreparably.

Rather than confront Bill directly about his frustrations, Paul wrote a letter and eventually quit. He notes that his unvoiced grievances hung in the air, unstated and unresolved, poisoning the partnership. The relationship recovered eventually, but years of communication problems created unnecessary damage.

“Too angry and proud to make an emotional appeal, I never went in and told Bill point blank, some days working with you is like being in hell. So my grievances hung in the air, unstated and unresolved.”

Be cautious of founder personalities who view the company as an extension of their identity, as this creates unhealthy dynamics and can lead to unfair treatment of other founders.

Paul observed that Bill Gates was so utterly identified with Microsoft that he got confused about where the company ended and he began. This personality trait drove Bill to claim increasingly larger equity stakes and to make decisions that prioritized the company's growth over Paul's wellbeing.

“Sometimes it seemed that Bill was so utterly identified with Microsoft that he'd get confused about where the company left off and he began.”

Spending time on subjects that genuinely interest you, even at the expense of other obligations, develops deep expertise that becomes valuable later.

Paul spent countless hours haunting the computer science library at the University of Washington, attending graduate-level classes without being officially enrolled, and diving into esoteric technical reports from MIT and Carnegie Mellon. This self-directed learning gave him depth of knowledge that distinguished him from casual programmers.

“I was driven more by curiosity than by compulsion to get good grades. Give me a dynamic teacher and engrossing material, and I'd be insatiable.”

Working alongside highly talented people, even on challenging projects with tight deadlines, builds confidence in your own abilities and validates your potential.

Paul and Bill were only 20 and 17 when they worked on the RODS project at TRW alongside 40+ experienced programmers on a crisis-mode, overrun software project. Though the lowest paid, they learned they could hold their own with top-tier talent, which gave them confidence for future ventures.

“Bill and I were the youngest workers there and surely the lowest paid, but we learned that we could hold our own with some of the top programmers around.”

Spending time on subjects that genuinely interest you, even at the expense of other obligations, develops deep expertise that becomes valuable later.

Paul spent countless hours haunting the computer science library at the University of Washington, attending graduate-level classes without being officially enrolled, and diving into esoteric technical reports from MIT and Carnegie Mellon. This self-directed learning gave him depth of knowledge that distinguished him from casual programmers.

“I was driven more by curiosity than by compulsion to get good grades. Give me a dynamic teacher and engrossing material, and I'd be insatiable.”

Working alongside highly talented people, even on challenging projects with tight deadlines, builds confidence in your own abilities and validates your potential.

Paul and Bill were only 20 and 17 when they worked on the RODS project at TRW alongside 40+ experienced programmers on a crisis-mode, overrun software project. Though the lowest paid, they learned they could hold their own with top-tier talent, which gave them confidence for future ventures.

“Bill and I were the youngest workers there and surely the lowest paid, but we learned that we could hold our own with some of the top programmers around.”

Find what you're deeply enthusiastic about and pursue it relentlessly, even if it conflicts with conventional expectations or traditional measures of success.

Paul Allen's English teacher noted that when gripped by enthusiasm for programming, he became almost totally irresponsible in other areas like homework. Rather than viewing this as a flaw, the teacher recognized it as potential. Allen's passion for programming resonated with his drive to understand how things work, and this enthusiasm ultimately defined his career and life's direction.

“Programming resonated with my drive to figure out whether things worked or not and then to fix them. I'd long marveled at the innards of things. But crafting my own computer code felt more creative than anything I've tried before.”

Pursue work you love rather than work that merely pays well or provides security, because a joyless career wastes the limited time you have on Earth.

Paul's father, who managed libraries but dreamed of coaching football, repeatedly told his son to do something he loved. Later, Paul learned his father had sacrificed happiness for financial security. This became a guiding principle for Paul, especially when he had to choose between staying at Microsoft and pursuing his own interests.

“Do something you love. Whatever you do, you should love it.”

Young entrepreneurs have an advantage because they lack the experience to know what is impossible, allowing them to attempt things that seem foolish to experienced professionals.

Paul and Bill were 21 and 18 when they called Ed Roberts and claimed they had nearly completed a BASIC interpreter for the Altair, when in fact they hadn't written a single line of code. Their youth and inexperience meant they didn't recognize the risk or difficulty of what they were attempting.

“If Bill and I had been older or known better, we might have been put off by the task in front of us. But we were young and green enough to believe that we just might pull it off.”

Life is too short to remain in situations that make you unhappy, especially when you have achieved financial security and have other interests to pursue.

After battling Hodgkin's lymphoma and realizing the stress of working with Bill was unsustainable, Paul decided to leave Microsoft despite its massive growth potential. He recognized that the business was important but did not define him, and that he wanted to enjoy life rather than sacrifice it for wealth accumulation.

“If I continued to recover, I now understood that life was too short to spend it unhappily. The business was hugely important for me, but it did not define me.”

Maintain diverse interests and pursuits outside of work, as a life narrowly focused on business success leads to regret and limits personal fulfillment.

Paul reflected that his time at Microsoft was atypically one-dimensional, narrowing his focus compared to his younger years when he was curious about rockets, robots, music, chemistry, and exploration. After leaving, he discovered he missed creating things in diverse domains.

“If there's any irony to my life, it's that my time with Microsoft was atypically one-dimensional. When I was younger, I immersed myself in rockets, robots, music, and chemistry.”

Success requires balancing innovation with execution, as technology companies must continue developing new products while maintaining existing ones and generating profits.

As Microsoft grew from the intimate group of 11 young programmers in Albuquerque to a much larger organization in Seattle, the company had to hire MBAs, sales staff, and support personnel. This diluted resources away from pure development and created tension between innovation and profitability.

“As a technology company grows, it must balance the need for innovation with the imperative to bolster existing products and keep the profits flowing.”

Success requires balancing innovation with execution, as technology companies must continue developing new products while maintaining existing ones and generating profits.

As Microsoft grew from the intimate group of 11 young programmers in Albuquerque to a much larger organization in Seattle, the company had to hire MBAs, sales staff, and support personnel. This diluted resources away from pure development and created tension between innovation and profitability.

“As a technology company grows, it must balance the need for innovation with the imperative to bolster existing products and keep the profits flowing.”

Learn from failed ventures by identifying what assumptions proved wrong and what capabilities you developed that apply to future opportunities.

Traf-O-Data failed because Paul and Bill had done no market research, didn't foresee customer reluctance, and couldn't compete with free government services. However, the venture reinforced Allen's conviction that microprocessors would enable widespread computing and taught them valuable lessons about product development that applied directly to Microsoft.

“In my experience, each failure contains the seeds of your next success if you are willing to learn from it.”

Learn from failed ventures by identifying what assumptions proved wrong and what capabilities you developed that apply to future opportunities.

Traf-O-Data failed because Paul and Bill had done no market research, didn't foresee customer reluctance, and couldn't compete with free government services. However, the venture reinforced Allen's conviction that microprocessors would enable widespread computing and taught them valuable lessons about product development that applied directly to Microsoft.

“In my experience, each failure contains the seeds of your next success if you are willing to learn from it.”