The Accidental Zillionaire: Demystifying Paul Allen [Hardcover]

Laura Rich (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471234915 | ISBN-13: 978-0471234913 | Publication Date: December 17, 2002 | Edition: 1

The first in-depth look at one of the world's richest-and most secretive-businessmen

Though his wealth is certainly no secret, the world's fourth richest man remains an enigma. Paul Allen made his fortune as Bill Gates's partner in Microsoft, supplemented it with questionable, though often profitable, venture capital schemes, and has since invested his wealth in a widely divergent list of interests. He owns the NBA's Portland Trailblazers and the NFL's Seattle Seahawks. Among hundreds of smaller ventures, he is a primary stakeholder in the film production company DreamWorks SKG and formerly held a large piece of the widely despised Ticketmaster monopoly. Dubbed the "Accidental Zillionaire" by Wired magazine, Allen has often appeared to be a bumbler who succeeded primarily through luck and by coopting the visionary ideas of others. 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 tells Allen's story from his days as a fledgling computer geek in suburban Washington state, to his role in founding the world's largest software company, to his battle with cancer, to his sycophantic flirtation with Hollywood and its brightest stars. Paul Allen is a man of various interests and passions, but few if any know him well. The Accidental Zillionaire for the first time reveals the inner workings of a towering figure in the worlds of technology, business, sports, and entertainment.

Laura Rich (Los Angeles, CA) is a former writer for The Industry Standard, Adweek, and Inside Media. She currently covers the world of digital entertainment for Entertainment Weekly, Fortune, and The Hollywood Reporter. She penned The Standard's popular "Rich List" report and has reported on Paul Allen for years.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Everyone knows about Bill Gates, the boy-wonder founder of Microsoft and the planet’s richest citizen. Although less well known, Paul Allen helped make Gates’s good fortunes possible, and he's certainly worth study for his mistakes just as much as his many successes.

Enter former Industry Standard reporter Laura Rich, who does little to demystify Allen the man, but paints a useful portrait all the same. Rich takes readers through Allen’s career as an early Gates ally, a technically savvy man who first saw the possibilities of DOS, the operating system that drove a big chunk of the personal computer market, and launched several other software enterprises. Although he left Microsoft owing to illness in 1983 (according to Rich, Gates has behaved badly toward him ever since), Allen is still a major shareholder and has amassed a personal fortune that dwarfs the GNPs of whole nations. As Rich observes, Allen has put this money to good use as "technology’s archangel," but has also managed to lose staggering sums in misguided ventures--some too far ahead of their time, some just plain wacky.

Those missteps have earned Allen the sobriquet used in Rich’s title. Though carelessly written and full of unhelpful asides ("Software is a language, hardware is more technical"), her book provides ample evidence for both why the name fits and why Allen, a visionary and man of action, merits respect. --Gregory McNamee

Review

&for the first time reveals the inner workings of a towering figure in the worlds of technology, sports, and entertainment& -- Computer Consultant, April/May 2003

&questions Allen's patchy business track record since leaving Microsoft and details his billionaire lifestyle& -- Business Eye (Northern Ireland), April 2003

"a cutting new biography" (Newsweek, February 3, 2003)

“…for the first time reveals the inner workings of a towering figure in the worlds of technology, sports, and entertainment…”(Computer Consultant, April/May 2003)

“…questions Allen’s patchy business track record since leaving Microsoft – and details his billionaire lifestyle…”(Business Eye (Northern Ireland), April 2003)

“…Rich has finally presented a balanced view of Allen’s achievements…” (M2 Best Books, 3 February 2003)

"a cutting new biography" -- Newsweek, February 3, 2003

...for the first time reveals the inner workings of a towering figure in the worlds of technology, sports, and entertainment... -- Computer Consultant, April/May 2003

...questions Allen's patchy business track record since leaving Microsoft and details his billionaire lifestyle... -- Business Eye (Northern Ireland), April 2003

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (December 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471234915
• ISBN-13: 978-0471234913
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,222,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Who is Paul Allen?, March 4, 2003

By 

Harvey Motulsky (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Accidental Zillionaire: Demystifying Paul Allen (Hardcover)

Paul Allen is a fascinating guy, and this is his only biography. So it is worth reading. This is a well written, though a bit repetitive, short book that won't take long to read. The book retells what he has done, but without a lot of perspective.

Having finished the book, I have only partial answers to the two key questions:

1. What kind of guy is he? This is an unauthorized biography, so the author never got to know Paul Allen. The book gives plenty of anecdotes that hint at what he is like. But I still don't have a sense of who he is.

2. What has he accomplished? The book retells his life, but without perspective. It doesn't really attempt to answer the big question: If Paul Allen had simply kept his Microsoft shares, how would the technology revolution have been different? To what extent is he simply an observer, and to what extent is he a driving force?

How accurate is the book? I knew Paul back in high school (haven't seen him since) and the description of those years is fine. I can't judge the accuracy of the rest of the book, but it bothers me that the author says Paul lived off his Microsoft dividends, when in fact Microsoft has never (until very recently) issued dividends. I wonder how many other details are wrong.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great overview of the life of a man who has shaped our times, January 13, 2003

By 

Chris Widener (Issaquah, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Accidental Zillionaire: Demystifying Paul Allen (Hardcover)

I bought Accidental Zillionaire on impulse. I passed it on the end cap and thought it looked interesting. It was! Even though I live in the Seattle area and end up following Allen through the news he makes here, this was a terrific - and fair - look at the whole life of Paul Allen. The author did a great job getting the story straight and demystifying Allen. I suppose one of the things most famous people must tire of is inaccuracies about their lives. It seems as though the author did a good job of sticking with facts and not getting into too much rumor and innuendo that would have made this book a gossip work rather than a read that gives you insight into the life and times of Allen. I thought the book's take on the relationship between Allen and Gates was particularly interesting - especially how Allen has lived his post Microsoft life trying to get another success under his belt - one that would prove that MS wasn't just the vision and success of Gates, with Allen along for the ride. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a great overview of Allen's life and work.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Curious Reader, February 25, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Accidental Zillionaire: Demystifying Paul Allen (Hardcover)

A fast read. However, this book is more akin to a compendium of previously published magazine articles. Consequently, that makes this oeuvre a $27.95 term paper. After reading the book Paul Allen is not demystified in any way as the title purports. I would recommend that you do a net search on Mr. Allen. You will reach the same level of enlightenment while saving yourself a bundle. This book should not have been published as it is repetitive and uninformative.