Paul Allen
Co-founder of Microsoft, investor and philanthropist
- Lived
- 65 yrs
- 1953 – 2018
- Works listed
- 1
- Memoir
- Honours
- 1
- Most recent 2015
- Profile views
- 2
- 0 followers
Paul Allen was an American businessman who co-founded Microsoft with his school friend Bill Gates in 1975. After leaving Microsoft in 1983, he became an investor and philanthropist, founding the Allen Institute for Brain Science, owning sports teams and funding the first private crewed spaceflight. He died in 2018.
Biography
Microsoft
Allen met Gates at Lakeside School. In 1975 he showed Gates the Altair 8800 magazine cover and they wrote BASIC for it; Allen flew to Albuquerque to demonstrate it. He suggested the name “Micro-Soft” and negotiated the purchase of 86-DOS for the IBM PC deal.
Leaving
Allen was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 1982 and left Microsoft in 1983, keeping a large stake that made him a billionaire.
Investor
Through Vulcan Inc. he invested in technology and real estate, bought the Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Seahawks, and funded SpaceShipOne, which won the Ansari X Prize in 2004.
Philanthropy
He founded the Allen Institute for Brain Science, the Allen Institute for AI and the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, and pledged most of his fortune to charity. He died in October 2018 of complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Timeline
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1953
Born in Seattle, Washington, United States
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1975
Co-founds Microsoft
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1980
Arranges the purchase of 86-DOS
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1983
Leaves Microsoft
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1988
Buys the Portland Trail Blazers
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1997
Buys the Seattle Seahawks
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2003
Founds the Allen Institute for Brain Science
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2004
SpaceShipOne wins the X Prize
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2018
Dies
-
2018
Died, aged 65
Notable works
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2011
Idea Man Memoir
Awards and honours
-
Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy
2015
Did you know?
-
1
He played guitar and loved Jimi Hendrix, funding a museum partly in his honour.
-
2
His yacht Octopus was one of the largest in the world.
-
3
His expeditions found the wrecks of several Second World War warships.
Connections
Related people
Also born on 21 January
Frequently asked
Who is Paul Allen?
Paul Allen was an American businessman who co-founded Microsoft with his school friend Bill Gates in 1975. After leaving Microsoft in 1983, he became an investor and philanthropist, founding the Allen Institute for Brain Science, owning sports teams and funding the first private crewed spaceflight. He died in 2018.
When did Paul Allen die?
Paul Allen died on 15 October 2018 at the age of 65.
Where is Paul Allen from?
Paul Allen was born in Seattle, Washington, United States.
What is Paul Allen known for?
Paul Allen is best known for Co-founding Microsoft (1975); Vulcan Inc.; Allen Institute; Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers owner.
What awards has Paul Allen received?
Notable honours include Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy (2015).
References
- Paul Allen — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Paul Allen — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Paul Allen — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Paul Allen — Goodreads author page. Goodreads. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Paul Allen — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Official website. www.paulallen.com. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Paul Allen (Q162005) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Paul Allen”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Paul Allen.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/paul-allen
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