Skip to main content

Microsoft co-founder, Seahawks owner Paul Allen dies at 65

PaulAllen.com

Paul Allen, a Microsoft co-founder and owner of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, died due to complications from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Seattle on Monday. He was 65. News of his passing was confirmed on the website of his media company, Vulcan Inc.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of our founder, Paul G. Allen, co-founder of Microsoft and noted technologist, philanthropist, community builder, conservationist, musician, and supporter of the arts. Mr. Allen died on Monday afternoon, October 15, 2018, from complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Seattle. Mr. Allen was 65 years old,” Vulcan said in a statement.

Recommended Videos

Allen co-founded Microsoft alongside Bill Gates in 1975 after the two entrepreneurs started marketing a BASIC programming language interpreter. Allen called the software Micro-Soft. Allen’s ambition for Microsoft was to build software for personal computers. He was able to achieve that goal by helping Microsoft acquire Q-DOS. Together, Gates and Allen transformed Q-DOS into MS-DOS, which eventually became the operating system installed on IBM’s personal computers. In total, Allen holds 43 patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Because of Microsoft’s success, Allen’s personal wealth also grew with the company. He became a billionaire in his early 30s; Allen’s net worth is estimated to be close to $20 billion. He made a number of investments in emerging and new technologies and was a frequent contributor to charities. Allen also owned sports franchises in the Pacific Northwest.

“While most knew Paul Allen as a technologist and philanthropist, for us, he was a much-loved brother and uncle, and an exceptional friend,” Allen’s sister, Jody, said in a statement. “Paul’s family and friends were blessed to experience his wit, warmth, his generosity and deep concern.” Allen described himself as a philanthropist, investor, entrepreneur, author, owner of two sports team, guitarist, neuroscience supporter, space pioneer, and Microsoft co-founder.

After being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1982, Allen left his role at Microsoft. He overcame the disease after months of radiation. In 2000, Allen resigned from his board position at Microsoft, but remained with the company as a strategy consultant. In 2009, Allen was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The disease was successfully treated until the cancer returned in 2018.

Though Allen never married and isn’t survived by any children, his spirit of entrepreneurship lives on. “As long as we work together — with both urgency and determination — there are no limits to what we can achieve,” his last tweet stated on the day of his death.

Details about Allen’s memorial services will be released as soon as they become available, Vulcan said.

Chuong Nguyen
Silicon Valley-based technology reporter and Giants baseball fan who splits his time between Northern California and Southern…
Still shopping? Amazon Prime Day deals going strong into day 4
We're bringing you the best Prime Day deals throughout the sales period
Best Prime Day Gift Card Deals

It’s the fourth and final day of the longest ever Amazon Prime Day event, and if you thought the best deals were behind us, think again. Amazon’s stretching this year’s event across four full days (July 8 -11 ) which means price drops are still rolling in hot, with fresh discounts landing on everything from big-name tech to everyday essentials.

There have been stellar savings so far, with the AirPods Pro 2 heading down to $149 as the best saving we've seen.

Read more
Apple loses AI whiz to Meta with an offer that will make your eyes water
Meta AI widget on Home Screen.

It was just last month that OpenAI boss Sam Altman claimed that Meta had been trying to poach his top AI engineers by offering hiring bonuses of as much as $100 million.

There was renewed interest in the matter earlier this week when it emerged that Ruoming Pang, an esteemed AI engineer who oversaw Apple’s AI models, had jumped ship to Meta.

Read more
I found the best Prime Day deal on a tablet hidden beyond Amazon
Microsoft Surface Pro 12-inch, stylus, and keyboard.

A good tablet can take your productivity to the next level, but a boring one will find a niche use and eat dust on a table or couch for most of its time. I love iPads and have been pushing them – as far as I can — to act as my primary computing machine for nearly half a decade now. It has never managed to replace a proper laptop, like a MacBook Air or a Windows machine. 

Why not buy a Windows laptop, you might ask? Well, Windows-powered tablets, especially those Surface devices sold by Microsoft, are pretty expensive. I love the new 12-inch Surface Pro, but at $799, it felt like a steep purchase despite its impressive specifications. 

Read more