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Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft [Hardcover]

Paul Allen (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews) |
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Book Description

Publication Date: April 19, 2011
By his early thirties, Paul Allen was a world-famous billionaire-and that was just the beginning.

In 2007 and 2008, Time named Paul Allen, the cofounder of Microsoft, one of the hundred most influential people in the world. Since he made his fortune, his impact has been felt in science, technology, business, medicine, sports, music, and philanthropy. His passion, curiosity, and intellectual rigor-combined with the resources to launch and support new initiatives-have literally changed the world.

In 2009 Allen discovered that he had lymphoma, lending urgency to his desire to share his story for the first time. In this long-awaited memoir, Allen explains how he has solved problems, what he's learned from his many endeavors-both the triumphs and the failures-and his compelling vision for the future. He reflects candidly on an extraordinary life.

The book also features previously untold stories about everything from the true origins of Microsoft to Allen's role in the dawn of private space travel (with SpaceShipOne) and in discoveries at the frontiers of brain science. With honesty, humor, and insight, Allen tells the story of a life of ideas made real.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

The virtual world he imagined is now as real as concrete ... the very fabric of a twenty-first century that he and a tiny club of others literally invented. Shy, humble, brilliant ... Paul Allen's intellect and generosity of spirit are there on every page. Bono Paul's natural curiosity will always guide him into uncharted waters. Whether it's a newfangled device called the personal computer; exploring the bottom of the sea or deep space; music, movies, and museums; or perhaps his most significant adventure so far-the human brain-two things are certain: It won't be the same afterward, and it will be an extraordinary journey. Peter Gabriel Paul is a true adventurer in every sense of the word and, as a friend, he is both loyal and generous of spirit. His ideas have helped shape the world we live in, and witnessing the way his mind works is like watching a Jimi Hendrix guitar solo: you have no idea how he does it, but it blows your mind. Dave Stewart This son of Oklahoma, by way of Seattle, electrocuted a classmate, soldered his skin, gassed the family pet, purposely crashed systems, dove in Dumpsters for coffee-stained printouts, and went on to create the engine that changed the world. Dan Ackroyd --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

About the Author

PAUL ALLEN is the billionaire technologist and philanthropist who cofounded Microsoft with Bill Gates. He is the chairman of Vulcan Inc. and founder of the Allen Institute for Brain Science. He also owns the Seattle Seahawks and the Portland Trail Blazers and is co-owner of the Seattle Sounders pro soccer team. He lives on Mercer Island, Washington.

Product Details

  • Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  • Hardcover: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover (April 19, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1591843820
  • ISBN-13: 978-1591843825
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,824 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
57 of 60 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book details Paul Allen's story on the beginning of Microsoft and his relationship with Bill Gates. The 2nd half of the book deals with his sport teams (TrailBlazers and Seahawks), space planes, investments, life as a wealthy mogul, and recent events.

Contrary to the press reports, this book draws a neutral portrait of Bill Gates. He is both highly praised and criticized. The book truly delivers an unvarnished view of Bill Gates and the beginnings of Microsoft. If you are into tech-history, this book should not be missed.

I think the title "Idea Man" is spot-on. Paul is the founding Visionary of Microsoft. He had the world-changing ideas and inspirations. But it was mostly Bill Gates who sorted them out and drove Paul Allen and rest of Microsoft's employees to execute those ideas into a reality. It is important to note that game changing ideas at Microsoft were somewhat lacking after Paul Allen left Microsoft. Instead, Microsoft became more like Bill Gates, an entity that is ruthless, sucessful, and technically brilliant. Yet, Microsoft lacked a vision and played mostly catchup to other visionary companies and ideas (Netscape, Apple, smartPhones, tablets, game consoles etc). I am convinced that Microsoft may have been a different and a more visionary company if Paul Allen had stayed.

I have also read the two books written by Bill Gates. In both books, Bill Gates gives strong endorsement and credit to Paul Allen for the co-founding of Microsoft. The two men have known each other for over 40 years and grew up together. The bond between the two seems very deep.

Pros:
1)This book is written in an extremely fluid style. I am not sure if Paul hired a ghostwriter, but if the book was mostly first-hand written, then I am impressed.
2)Paul Allen provides details on his days with Bill Gates at Lakeside school, Harvard, and Microsoft. When Paul Allen asked Bill Gates how large their software company could be, Bill replied "about 35 employees" and Paul Allen thought that was little ambitious.
3)The story of the founding and the early days of Microsoft was very engaging. It kept me up until 4am reading this book.

Cons:
1)Where is the sage advice? What would have Paul Allen done differently? He takes a passive retroactive account of his past, and does not delve too much into the lessons he has learned from them.
2)Where is the analysis of the past, the current, and the future state of technology? I am especially interested on Paul Allen's take on technology's future 10-20 years down the road.
3)This book is missing huge parts of Paul Allen's life. Paul Allen writes mostly about his relationship with his parents and Bill Gates. I don't think one could categorize this book as a complete autobiography.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. This book is not written as a completely autobiography. Yet, it provides rich details on many things people would find interesting and engaging.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I recommend the first 30% of this book for anyone in the tech field who wants an insider's view of the guts of starting a software business in the early days. There is some candid insight into Gates' and Allen's personalities and in my perspective, sheds some light on why some things about Silicon Valley culture are the way they are--some of the traditions, norms, mores, and such were clearly birthed at Microsoft (and to a lesser degree Xerox Parc and HP) and seeded to all those companies that followed. Beyond that, with some exceptions (the discussion on winning the X Prize, for example), I felt the book devolved into a cross between "I'm a billionaire and still don't feel fulfilled" and "then, I played guitar with Mick Jagger." I stopped about 80% of the way through and have no desire to finish.
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Paul Allen is a strange renaissance-man type nerd, and he has a mostly interesting tale to tell. Here were the ups and downs of his tale to me:

- The first half of the book is more engaging than the second
The book is really about three different phases of his life. The first two phases cover the first half of the book. In the first phase is his childhood, discovery of his passion for computers and forming a friendship with Gates through a common love of computer programming. The second phase is the creation of Microsoft and subsequent struggles with Bill as the company grows.

Paul left MS before it went public, and in a few short years his stock options turned him into a multi-billionaire. Adrift without a purpose and lots of money, the second half of the book covers his investments into mostly unprofitable ventures as he explores whatever strikes his fancy. He likes basketball, so he buys a basketball team. He still wants to make a mark as a solo visionary in technology, so he starts a technology think tank. He's fascinated by space so he funds the first commercial space flight. He likes movies so he gets involved in the creation of DreamWorks... and well, a whole lot of other things, as well. Some of these are more interesting than others. Some of them venture into total nerdy detail which one will only find fascinating if they're equally obsessed with the topic.

2. Paul's a good logical writer and doesn't hold back from sharing his (or others) flaws, but his logical approach tends to keep real feeling out of his story.
The most engaging parts are about his relationship with Bill. It is pretty much the only area where some much less analytical insights are provided. Even when he discusses the life-threatening illnesses he faced - it seems almost impossible for him to really express his feelings in a meaningful way. That said, he's also a surprising dreamer and dedicated visioniary, who lives in his own head and is easily taken advantage of - which makes for some fascinating insights into his role at MS and how he's handled his wealth.

3. Even for the non-computer geek, there's bound to be something in his tale that will capture your imagination.
Overall, the book offers a compelling look at how timing, luck, opportunity, obsession and personalities came together to create a global company. For those interested in the fate of MS today he offers interesting insight and opinions. For those more interested in technology and computers than business - the description of the trip from before there were PC's to the connected world we live in today is fascinating. If you're an NBA, NFL or sci-fan, well there's some interesting insights there, as well. Still, there's also some occasionally odd ventures off into descriptions of strange things that seem only placed in them because they interested him. (a description of his safari to Africa comes to mind)

BOTTOM LINE: 3.5 stars - Paul has an interesting life and insights on the creation of Microsoft, technology, wealth, and business, and ultimately he paints a pretty clear picture of who that "other man" that created Microsoft is, and why he deserves a little more credit for it than he's generally received.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
By reading IDEA MAN I got a great sense of Paul Allen as an individual...
Why I read IDEA MAN:
Having grown up in Seattle, the story of Microsoft and its founders has interested me since the early 1980s, long before the company went public. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Michael Santos
Excellent Book
Excellent Book......

Paul Allen describes the history of the PC industry, and also reveals the real Bill Gates, a Genius, but also a selfish man. Read more
Published 2 months ago by caets
Revealing read
After a lifelong interest in computer technology, it came as a surprising revelation that Paul Allen was the idea man in the early years of Microsoft. Read more
Published 2 months ago by J. Freijser
Two books in one
Anyone who writes more than his/her signature most days will know that writing a book is a pretty gargantuan process. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Nicholas Robinson
A Bit Sad
The interesting thing about Paul Allen is that you will be amazed, and astounded how anyone this naive could end up so successful. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Non Fiction Only
Quick read and insightful
I enjoyed reading this book. You get to see the curiosity, the searching, the dreamer, and the risk taker that he is. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Edster
A fascinating, fun and very illuminating read
I finished the book! For a technical person who rarely gets to fully read a "real" book anymore and for a non-native speaker for whom it takes longer to read a book than your... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Berkeley
Good origin story, the rest stinks.
The beginning of this book is an engrossing origin story about Microsoft. It is very detailed and explains the good luck as well as the hard work. Read more
Published 7 months ago by A Critic
Idea Man - a technology visionary
The book, Paul Allen Idea Man was a very interesting read for today's technologist. The enthusiasm that Paul brings forth in his book is extremely insightful for technology people... Read more
Published 8 months ago by J. BYTTOW
Allen's Dangerous Ideas
Paul Allen is a cofounder of Microsoft. He is decidedly less known than the other cofounder: world's riches man Bill Gates. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Dr. Bojan Tunguz
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