Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen, dies aged 65
Paul Allen, the man who started Microsoft alongside Bill Gates, has passed away at the age of 65. Allen died on October 15 due to complications from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is a form of cancer that starts in the lymphatic system. Allen was Gates' childhood friend and the two had started Microsoft in 1975. Here's more.
Eight years after starting Microsoft, Allen left the company as an employee but remained on its Board till 2000. He first received treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma back in 2009. However, a couple of weeks back, the tech pioneer revealed that the disease had returned. Allen leaves behind his sister and had no children.
"Paul loved life and those around him, and we all cherished him in return. He deserved much more time, but his contributions to the world of technology and philanthropy will live on for generations to come. I will miss him tremendously," Bill Gates said.
Allen gave Microsoft its name and played a significant role in helping the company transition into a technology giant. In 1980, he landed a deal to buy Tim Paterson's Quick and Dirty Operating System, helping Microsoft to get into a deal to supply DOS for IBM's first PCs. He left shortly after that and started investing in a diverse set of fields.
Allen started an investment company called Vulcan while staying on the board of Microsoft. As part of that, he backed a number of markets and companies, including Ticketmaster, SETI's Alien Telescope Array, and Stratolaunch, which is building a space plane. Notably, he also led several environmental and anti-Ebola initiatives, and just recently, invested $46 million in a complex to house low-income families in Seattle.
Amongst other achievements, Allen has been credited for devising the two-buttoned mouse. Further, he has many as 43 US patents under his name.
