The Accidental Zillionaire: Demystifying Paul Allen Hardback - 2002 - 1st Edition

Paul Allen's story begins most inauspiciously.

From humble beginnings as the son of a working-class family in suburban Washington state to one of the world's richest men, Paul Allen's life story reads like the American dream come true. But if Allen's story is as familiar to us as any rags-to-riches tale, Allen himself has remained a curious enigma.

As cofounder of Microsoft, Allen banked billions while still a young man. Since then, he's invested in a massive array of both high-tech and more traditional interests-he owns the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers and the NFL's Seattle Seahawks and is a primary stakeholder in the film production company DreamWorks SKG, among other investments. Dubbed the "Accidental Zillionaire" by Wired magazine, he's often seen as a quixotic figure who succeeds primarily through luck and by investing in the visionary ideas of others. But even his harshest critics would find it hard to bet against him. Today, Allen's money-if not his personality-casts a long shadow over the intertwined worlds of technology, business, sports, and entertainment.

In The Accidental Zillionaire, Laura Rich, one of the foremost chroniclers of the Internet economy, unravels the secret Paul Allen, his inner motivations, his vision, and his personality. She follows Allen from his days as a teen computer geek, to his role in founding the world's largest software company, to his battle with Hodgkin's disease, to his odd flirtation with Hollywood. Paul Allen is a man of varied interests and passions, but few, if any, know him well. This book, for the first time, reveals the inner workings of a figure whose significance is often overlooked.

The collaboration between Gates and Allen has been well documented. But for all of Microsoft's success-and as big a part as Allen played in that success-his contribution to the software behemoth has often been downplayed. Allen remains a shadowy figure while Gates hogs the limelight. Though their relationship has been examined in detail, Allen himself has received scant attention.

Cutting through the mythological tenor of much of what passes for the history of Microsoft and its founders, The Accidental Zillionaire reveals Allen as more than merely "Bill Gates's partner," but as a man whose brilliance and subterranean influence has had a profound and far-reaching impact on modern America.