#44 A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft

About this episode

What I learned from reading Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft by Paul Allen  --- I was 21 years old and at loose ends (0:01) how Paul Allen works (4:09) coming up with the idea for Microsoft (4:48) admiring Bill Gates' bravado (7:56) advice from his father: do something you love (12:30) "Paul is an 'enthusiast' and when in the grip of an enthusiasm is almost totally irresponsible in other areas. How can one help such a student to see the error of his ways ? I don't know. He could even be more right than we, who knows ?" (18:30) Going deep on subjects that interested him (20:56) Paul's first jobs (24:14) Paul Allen and Bill Gates first business (26:44) New Mexico and the start of Microsoft (31:37) We were certain that the tech establishment was wrong and we were right (34:40) Unequal cofounders (37:29) Starting to grow Microsoft (39:00) Unequal cofounders part two (41:00) Early Microsoft culture: When I talk about the early days at Microsoft, it's hard to explain to people how much fun it was.( 46:43) Turning down a millions of dollars from Ross Perot (53:37) Unequal cofounders part 3 (56:54) The deal that led to Microsoft becoming the largest tech company of its day (58:00) Health crisis and Paul Allen leaves Microsoft (1:05:30) His most important realization (1:09:27) How Paul makes $75 million from AOL (1:13:00) I start from a different place , from the love of ideas and the urge to put them into motion and see where they might lead (1:18:10) ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of history's greatest entrepreneurs on demand. Use it to supplement the decisions you make in your work.  Get access to Founders Notes here.  ---- “I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — Gareth Be like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast