Opinion: Allen Risks Becoming “World’s Richest Disgruntled Employee”


The Seattle Times got its hands on the first draft of a memoir by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen due to be published in late April. There are many surprising revelations, says the paper, including evidence that the relationship between Bill Gates and Allen was much more strained than either has previous let on.  Apparently, their relationship came to a head in 1982 when Allen claims he heard Gates complaining to another executive about his productivity after receiving treatment for cancer. Allen says he heard Gates discussing ways to reduce his stake in the company. Allen characterizes Gates as “a wolf of a negotiator, tireless automaton of a programmer and passionate but arrogant leader.”

Seattle Times columnist Brier Dudley says Allen’s attempts to re-brand himself could backfire: “It’s so catty, Allen risks going down in history as the world’s richest disgruntled employee — the guy who stomped out of the building with $20 billion, thinking he deserved $25 billion.” Dudley says he’s covered Allen for more than 12 years, and every time he asked him about Gates, Allen was quick to bring up their friendship.

Vanity Fair has an excerpt of the book called, “Idea Man: A Memoir by the Co-founder of Microsoft.”

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