Paul Allen the 'Accidental Zillionaire' 164
An anonymous reader writes "The Sydney Morning Herald has an interesting story about Paul Allen, "the accidental zillionaire". Allen is the owner of the world's biggest private yacht and a huge landowner in the Seattle area in addition to his traditional accolades of helping to found Microsoft along with several other companies and foundations."
What is a zillionaire? (Score:4, Funny)
billionaire - fewer, somewhat dodgy
trillionaire - hmmm tricky, size of the US deficit
zillionaire - more money than that?
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:5, Insightful)
Jeebus.
Anyways, I would hardly call it "accidential". It wasn't any accident that Microsoft got to license their OS to the IBM (and compatible) machines, it was cold and calculated. While they might not have known they'd end up being some of the richest people to have ever lived, they had to have known that they were never going to have to worry about money again in their lives.
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:5, Insightful)
Since early 1980's? Probably they knew that. But in early 1970's, Allen and Gates were just a couple of nerdy students, sharing a belief that the future is in household computers. While in that age everyone else shared a belief that a "computer" is meant to be maintained and operated only by specially trained staff wearing laboratory overalls. Yes, their deal with IBM was no accident but in order to get that deal, they had to establish their position in the 8-bit personal computing world - writing BASIC for Altair and Apple, and lot of stuff for CP/M (originally that was the IBM's system of choice for their first PC). That was largely an accident - lots of companies active in the 8-bit market (such as Altair or Digital Research, makers of the CP/M) simply didn't make it in 1980's.
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:2, Informative)
And I guess having very rich parents with "connections" helps too.
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:2)
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:2)
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:2)
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:2)
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:2)
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:2)
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:5, Insightful)
They were lucky, but they also had some idea of what they were getting into. Taking advantage of an opportunity means recognizing that you have an opportunity to take advantage of.
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:5, Insightful)
IBM didn't make a difference; Compaq did (Score:5, Insightful)
What really made the PC ubiquitously popular was Compaq's reverse-engineering of the IBM BIOS. This meant that you no longer had to pay top dollar for something that was truly IBM compatible. This, coupled with the adoption of the ISA bus by all of the PC manufacturers, is what made the PC the king of the hill. All of a sudden, Intel (and others) had a real incentive to make faster, more capable CPUs (because IBM wasn't the only game in town anymore for the x86), and because of standards like the ISA bus, card manufacturers had a broader audience to develop things like SoundBlaster. It was because of this opening up of the hardware to virtually anyone that the PC became popular. It had absolutely nothing to do with Microsoft or DOS. Remember, also, that Microsoft also produced the BASIC in every single Commodore 8-bit computer from the PET through the 128, and so they made money on the millions of those sold, in addition to MS-DOS/PC-DOS.
Re:IBM didn't make a difference; Compaq did (Score:2, Informative)
Re:IBM didn't make a difference; Compaq did (Score:2)
If Kildall had taken to producing an OS for the PC, MicroSoft may never have had the chance to produce BASIC for it, and those who made their millions/billions may not have been quite so successful.
Re:Kildall did make a key difference (Score:2)
Re:IBM didn't make a difference; Compaq did (Score:3, Informative)
Um, wasn't it *Phoenix Technologies* that reverse engineered the IBM BIOS, i.e. produced an IBM-compatible BIOS so that other manufacturers could make IBM clones?
Re:IBM didn't make a difference; Compaq did (Score:2)
Don't confirm without evidence (Score:2)
Re:Don't confirm without evidence (Score:2)
WRONG (Score:2)
Re:IBM didn't make a difference; Compaq did (Score:2)
Re:IBM didn't make a difference; Compaq did (Score:2)
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:2, Interesting)
Hardly. IBM, when they came out with the original PC, estimated that total sales for the PC would be in the neighbourhood of about 250,000 for the life of the product. Back then, IBM worked on 5-10 year product cycles.
If anything, at their most optimistic, they probably hoped it would settle their student
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:2)
Heh. That reminds me of that Louie Anderson joke.
"People would say, 'Does he know he's that fat?'
Like I woke up one morning and said, 'oh noooooooooooooooooooooo...'"
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:5, Funny)
Worth: $US21 billion, seventh richest person in the world, says Forbes Magazine, 2005
A clear case of too many LAN parties...
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:2)
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:1)
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:2, Offtopic)
"How did we go from a couple of thousand to three brazillion?!?"
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:2)
Re:What is a zillionaire? (Score:2)
EMP (Score:1)
Re:EMP (Score:2)
Comment removed (Score:3, Informative)
Re:FYI (Score:5, Informative)
Re:FYI (Score:2)
Re:FYI (Score:2, Funny)
And we don't care.
Re:FYI (Score:2)
He did well (Score:4, Insightful)
Still I wonder why so many geeks are online on x-mas. Oh wait, I am too.
NO CARRIER
Re:He did well (Score:1)
I was just yesterday surfing!
Gosh, I guess installing linux really takes some time...;-)
Re:He did well (Score:1, Insightful)
I believe he quit Microsoft due to illness (Score:1)
Re:I believe he quit Microsoft due to illness (Score:2)
Microsoft had become the dominant player in microcomputer languages. Gates was not an unknown quantity to IBM.
His hompage (Score:4, Funny)
It runs on IIS. What are the odds?
ISS (Score:1)
Re:His hompage (Score:2, Interesting)
Badly mind you, the footer is full of 's
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
So... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:So... (Score:2, Funny)
OSS: Intentional nillionaires not accidental (Score:2)
If you write open source software it is probably no accident that you are a nillionaire.
Not a more perfect plan for world domination... (Score:1)
Muahahaha
In the book Hard Drive, authors James Wallace and Jim Erickson say that Allen was a much easier person to get along with. While Gates was often impossible, prone to fits of temper and an uncompromising workaholic, Allen had a life outside of work. He was interested in technology, rock music and science fiction. "Paul tended
Re:Not a more perfect plan for world domination... (Score:1, Informative)
last of all: "Allen has been selling his Microsoft shares since he left the company, but still owns more than $3 billion worth.", sounds like somebody started to loose faith in the company there...
Not really. What would you do? A zillion in unrealised P&L as stock and a desire for big boats. I'd sell too - and he's described as having interests outside work - so why not? And I think there's proably a few people with a lot of faith in their organisation but still hold less than $3 billion in stock. Wh
Re:Not a more perfect plan for world domination... (Score:2)
Re:Not a more perfect plan for world domination... (Score:2, Insightful)
I think it's more likely he began to want (or perhaps needed) to liquidate his funds. He doesn't actually have a job now, right? If not, then his expensive lifestyle (from his homes and boats to his football teams and charity work) is a drain on his money. I'm sure he's planned it so he'll never have to worry abou
Re:Not a more perfect plan for world domination... (Score:2, Insightful)
Well, if he wants to own anything other than a piece of microsoft, he'll have to sell those shares. Living in a shack with $3 billion in paper wealth is silly. Of course he wants to turn those shares into other things.
largest yacht (Score:2)
Re:largest yacht (Score:5, Informative)
No, The largest yatch is owned by the Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, the name is 'Platinum'
Allen's boat was designed by the same company btw.
I do think he has the biggest yatch in US
Linky. http://www.bostonboating.com/platinum.htm [bostonboating.com]Re:largest yacht (Score:3, Informative)
Some other interesting things that apparently came with it:
Allen bought Washington state referendum (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Allen bought Washington state referendum (Score:1)
Kierthos
Re:Allen bought Washington state referendum (Score:1)
Re:Allen bought Washington state referendum (Score:2)
Maybe Google will buy the 49ers and we can replace Candlestick with something fancy. Googlestick? I like it.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Allen bought Washington state referendum (Score:2)
Hijacking local democracy
Perhaps nothing illustrates the ruthlessness and shameless power plays of the corporate welfare kings than their extortionate demands for state and local subsidies on threat of picking up and moving elsewhere.
So far it sounds like a professional sports team/franchise.
Re:Allen bought Washington state referendum (Score:2)
Re:Allen bought Washington state referendum (Score:2)
Achievement list... (Score:5, Funny)
Correction (Score:3, Informative)
He's a Virus Developer! I knew it! (Score:3, Funny)
1983: Develops Hodgkin's disease and leaves Microsoft. Makes full recovery
Ya think that when writing an artical where a portion of the audience are going to be geeks and/or programmers they wouldnt use words like "develops" to describe what happened to him, rather "contracting" a virus would sound more appropriate. It makes him sound like he wrote the Hodgkin's virus in his multi-zillion dallor basement.
Perhaps, Insted of "Makes full recovery" it should read "Was able to restore Paul Allen from tape backup"
Re:He's a Virus Developer! I knew it! (Score:3, Informative)
Interesting, that the refer to paul as the ... (Score:4, Interesting)
IIRC, It was IBM that approached them (the movie was incorrect).
In addition, it took several employees to talk BG into not moving to Unix from Dos (DOS numbers were awesome, where MS xenix was going nowhere).
Paul went on to develop a number of companies and technologies, but BG stayed with just one.
In addition, BG's thing has been to work with a monopoly that simply steals from others, while Paul develop new techs.
Offhand, I would call BG more the accidental, and Paul the brilliant one.
Re:Interesting, that the refer to paul as the ... (Score:2)
From the Wikipedia article [wikipedia.org]...
Ironically, most Windows' rivals now are Unix-like. Brings a "what if?" t
Re:Interesting, that the refer to paul as the ... (Score:2)
BG was intent on moving ppl off of dos onto xenix. In fact, the reason why DOS aquired real directories and corresponding commands (cd, mkdir/md, etc) was to make the transition to xenix easy, which had also aquired a number of dos commands.
Even though I am *nix fan, I would not have it any other way. Back then IBM was the bad guy and was stifling innovation. MS does now, so control needs to be taken from them. But at one time, the MS
Re:Interesting, that the refer to paul as the ... (Score:2)
Re:Interesting, that the refer to paul as the ... (Score:2)
I presume, or at least suspect, this word comes from the title of the Robert Cringley book on those who started the personal computer revolution, "Accidental Empires."
An obscure Paul Allen reference (Score:2)
Allen's Helicopter (Score:4, Funny)
But don't you forget... (Score:2, Insightful)
And the good thing is, he funds ventures after deciding "if its something that he would love". I call that a rather smart way of judging what (not) to fund. Granted, that this may at times bump up pet projects when compared to something with a larger impact - but this is needed too! After all, we do have the 2 richest
Paul Allen:Seattle::Thomas/Bruce Wayne:Gotham? (Score:3, Funny)
Evidence?
Has a huge house, more of a compound really.
Isn't married.
He has lots of fast cars.
One of the biggest philanthropists in America.
Funded medical research, mapping the human brain at the cellular level.
[Funded] the Experience Music project and the Science Fiction museum.
Art collection...rumoured to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Donated $20 million to develop a park which would have stretched from the downtown area to Lake Union.
Converting a nondescript belt of warehouses and commercial buildings into a biotech hub, while redeveloping environmentally friendly housing, and a waterfront park.
Now that we have evidence that he plays the role of philantropist-playboy by day can anyone pony-up the evidence that he lives the double life and is a crime-fighter by night?
Altruism (Score:3, Interesting)
I seem to remember reading that Bill Gates only started his philanthopic spree when his mom confronted him about his vast wealth and insisted he donate much of it to charitable causes. (I hope I'm not getting my facts wrong here.)
Paul Allen has given a lot of money to medical research, but being ill seems to have been the impetus for that.
Both men also have their name slapped on many of the non-profit projects to which they donate.
I'm not saying this makes their contributations any less important. But it does seem to make the spirit of the donations a little less impressive, since the men likely would not have been so generous without such "external" pressures.
Does anyone agree or am I being too idealistic to hope for true altruism?
Microsoft vs. Wal-Mart (Score:3, Interesting)
From: http://www.walmartmovie.com/facts.php/ [walmartmovie.com]
A WAL-MART Worker may donate money from their paycheck to the CRITICAL NEED FUND, a program to aid other employees in times of crisis, like a fire or tornado.
In 2004, WAL-MART Employees gave OVER $5 MILLION to help fellow workers. The Walton Family gave $6,000
The WALTON FAMILY Has Given LESS THAN 1% of Their Wealth to Charity. Bill Gates has given 58%
Re:Interesting (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Interesting (Score:2)
I dunno... he sure seems pretty pleased to have hired thousands of programmers and attempt to deluge the market with Micro-Soft Bob and Windows ME. (I always find it amusing that Bill rewarded the manager of MS' biggest market flop - Bob - with an engagement ring.)
Re:Interesting (Score:2)
Re:Interesting (Score:5, Informative)
Only on Slashdot would you have a businessman of a technology company being compared to a pimp, a smuggler and a murderer.
What the hell are you talking about?! How many people has Microsoft (or Bill Gates) killed? Does he own a freakin' whorehouse or a casino? The only thing he has done is conduct a business the way every business is conducted - to maximize profit.
Microsoft is a business entity. They are a corporation. Like every other corporation out there, their purpose is to enhance the shareholder value, period. That does not make them any more or less evil. They just are that way. And they are giving back to society, a lot more than most companies ever have.
You know something? I would *much* rather have Microsoft profit in billions and spend money towards helping something more important than code, like AIDS or Cancer, than feel bad for a two penny company that could not take care of itself. Business is like the animal kingdom, there are predators and preys and it is not good or evil, merely the survival of the fittest.
If you have a good idea and good management, you can surivive. Look at Google, they are the perfect example.
Stop making ridiculous comparisons. While Microsoft maybe a ruthless business, they are contributing a whole lot to society. I would much rather have that. And you, my good sir, what have you done to the well being of the society lately? Helped cure anything?
Bloody trolls.
Re:Interesting (Score:3, Insightful)
It is hard to measure white-collar crime and corruption in human
Re:Interesting (Score:2)
Oh yes, every businessman is a convicted monopolist. And every businessman builds his buisness through tactics that can be called nothing less than extortion, fraud, and IP theft. Sure, every business in the US conducts it's business via illegal and immoral means.
Maybe it's a financial decision? (Score:2)
Re:Maybe it's a financial decision? (Score:2, Interesting)
-ccm
Re:Maybe it's a financial decision? (Score:2, Insightful)
Are you a woman? Because there's no benefit to a man in marriage. Besides, with > 50% of all marriages ending in divorce these days, a pre-nup is simply good preparation. Rather than accepting, "If you loved me, you wouldn't ask me to sign a pre-nup," turn it around on her and say, "If you loved me, you'd want to si
Re:Maybe it's a financial decision? (Score:2)
Re:Maybe it's a financial decision? (Score:2, Insightful)
You have made a choice -- you find that the single, childless lifestyle suits you. Great. You know what? It doesn't suit everyone. Some of us tried it and found that, despite the benefits it may afford, we weren't happy. Having another person involved in your l
Re:Maybe it's a financial decision? (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't know - I told my fiance not to buy me an engagement ring. There are women to whom ostentatious displays of wealth are not the most important thing. If you are only willing to look, you would find them.
And let's not forget the benefits of being single. Completely aside from not being tied to any single woman, my money is my own to spend.
This I find a kind of selfish observation. The value of money is in its use, and lots of people
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Re:Maybe it's a financial decision? (Score:2)
Re:So he's single? Why is that? (Score:4, Interesting)