Paul Allen, Microsoft co-founder, RIP
Paul Allen, billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, philanthropist, science fiction fan, and founder of Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture (formerly the Experience Museum Project), has died from complications of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was 65.
"From technology to science to music to art, I'm inspired by those who've blurred the boundaries, who've looked at the possibilities, and said, "What if...? In my own work, I've tried to anticipate what's coming over the horizon, to hasten its arrival, and to apply it to people's lives in a meaningful way." -- Paul Allen
Allen's professional timeline is quite something:
- 1953: Paul Allen is born January 21, 1953 in Seattle, Washington
- 1968: While at Lakeside School, Paul meets Bill Gates. A friendship that would later produce one of the world's most innovative companies, Microsoft.
- 1969: Attends first rock concert, where he sees Jimi Hendrix at Seattle Center Coliseum
- 1975: Founds Microsoft
- 1982: In September, Paul is diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Nearly eight months later, doctors said he had beaten the disease.
- 1983: Officially resigns from Microsoft in March
- 1986: Founds Vulcan Inc. in Seattle as an investment and project management firm with his sister, Jody Allen
- 1988: Establishes The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation
- 1988: Purchases the Portland Trail Blazers
- 1988: Rescues Seattle Cinerama from demolition by purchasing and restoring the theater
- 1990: The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation makes its first grant.
- 1990: Becomes a billionaire at age 37
- 1995: Makes his single biggest investment to date by purchasing a 18.5% stake in Dreamworks
- 1996: Purchases the St. Paul's Hospital in London, which would reopen later after renovations as The Hospital Club
- 1997: Creates Vulcan Productions, an independent film production company
- 1997: Purchases the Seattle Seahawks, preventing the NFL team from relocating to California
- 2002: Donates $14 million to the University of Washington to construct the Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science and Engineering
- 2003: Launches the Allen Institute for Brain Science (AIBS) with $100 million in seed money
- 2004: SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately-based effort to successfully put a civilian in suborbital space, winning the Ansari X Prize
- 2004: Opens the Flying Heritage Collection, a private collection of warbirds, in Arlington, Washington
- 2008: Lifetime philanthropic giving reaches $1 billion in total
- 2009: Becomes a minority owner in Seattle Sounders, the MLS team
- 2011: Releases memoir "Idea Man"
- 2011: Announces the launch of Stratolaunch Systems. The venture's goal is to create an air launch to orbit system
- 2012: Opens the Living Computer Museum, an interactive collection of vintage mainframes and machines, to the public in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood
- 2013: Announces expansion of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, aiming to model it after the Brain Science Institute
- 2014: Seattle Seahawks win the Super Bowl over the Denver Broncos
- 2014: Pledges $100 million to support efforts to stop Ebola outbreak in West Africa
- 2014: Founds the Allen Institute for Cell Science
- 2017: Locates the wreck of the USS Indianapolis
- 2018: Dies on Oct. 15 in Seattle of complications of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
More about Paul Allen in this statement posted by his umbrella company Vulcan Inc.
And here is the New York Times obituary.
So much fun catching up w/ computing pioneers at the #LCMCelebration last night! Here I am with old friend @BillGates pic.twitter.com/a5aQaamH9H
- Paul Allen (@PaulGAllen) April 4, 2013