Allen’s yacht Octopus courtesy Coughing Dog

“OK but one day I’m out of here”

Bill Gates schemed to take shares in Microsoft Corp. from his co-founder during the early days of the software company following his partner’s treatment for cancer, according to a new memoir by the billionaire co-founder, Paul Allen.

The allegation is part of a critical portrait in the book of Mr. Gates, with whom Mr. Allen formed a friendship in grade school that evolved into one of the iconic partnerships of American business.

The book gives a revisionist take on some details of Microsoft’s history and the relationship between Mr. Gates and his former partner, the two of whom have long been viewed as cordial if not close friends. The book has created a rift between Messrs. Gates and Allen, say people who know both men.

Mr. Allen’s unflattering account of Mr. Gates in the book is already making waves within the tight circle of early Microsoft alumni, with several people who know both men privately expressing confusion about Mr. Allen’s motivations for criticizing his old business partner and questioning the accuracy of Mr. Allen’s interpretation of certain events.

Mr. Allen writes, “I’d thought that our partnership was based on fairness, but now I saw that Bill’s self-interest overrode all other considerations. My partner was out to grab as much of the pie as possible and hold on to it, and that was something I could not accept.”

How to win friends and influence people? Guess he has all the money he needs right now.




  1. Chris Mac says:

    They did some neat stuff to say the least.. But, I find it hard to feel sorry for either of them.

  2. nobody says:

    Everybody in software knows this story anyway.
    But when Gates forced Allen out, Allen just sat back and watched his shares go up as Gates did the dirty to more people and customers.

  3. Grandpa says:

    We all know Gates is an a$$hole anyway. He’s the strongest supporter of the H1-B fraud too.

  4. jobs says:

    #5 I think Allen’s spends more money on yacht fuel in one day then all the money he will make on selling a book. Clearly the motive is elsewhere.

  5. msbpodcast says:

    YUCK!> This is a story of unmitigated greed (just look at the fucking boat,) running rampant because of a lack of understanding of the true source of the wealth of Microsoft.

    The accountants of the world had the mantra of competitive bidding engrained into them, and Microsoft took advantage of that by being the sole supplier of the OS for all of the competitive bidders (in effect short-circuiting the entire process,) to over charge everybody and built Gates, Allen, Balmer and the other microsofties into the world’s richest people.

    Microsoft has probably ripped off a trillion dollars from the wallets of IT over the years, one dumb IT manager and one dumb accountant at a time.

  6. Tom says:

    Gates is a sweetheart compared to Steve Jobs!

  7. bobbo, had enough dogma today? says:

    Heh, heh. Just people being people in the context of what society presents them with.

    #8–podcast==you had it until the end. The way M$ did monopolize the OS market made other choices by IT managers impossible. I recall several board meetings: M$ or Brand X. Brand X only made it if they had a conflict of interest with some board member. Ha, ha.

    Yes, only the context of what society presents.

  8. Nobody says:

    The other MSFT founder, Charles Simonyi, has a yacht that looks like it could take it out http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/MY_Skat_in_Copenhagen_-_01.jpg

  9. Zybch is pissed off says:

    “revelations” that gates discussed benefitting from Allen’s cancer scare have been well documented for almost two decades. They certainly weren’t exposed by this book.
    Looking at all of Allen’s dubious successes (you know the ones I mean, the FAILURES) since leaving MS its pretty clear than the guy is just grandstanding.

  10. Uncle Patso says:

    “… out to grab as much of the pie as possible and hold on to it…”

    That’s Gates and Microsoft in a nutshell.

  11. foobar says:

    Pedro, it ain’t the money. It’s all whining ego.

  12. What? says:

    Sex, power, money – do you expect rich people are motivated less for these things than a poor person?

    Rich are rich because they are smart enough to get what they lust for. And they lust for more than you can imagine.

    Never work for a dumb person who is insatiable, you will be miserable.

  13. Mr. Fusion says:

    #3, Alphie

    What was his stated purpose for writing the book?

    We wonder the same. About you. And why you don’t take your medication.

  14. MikeN says:

    Bob Cringely reported this story 5 years ago.

    [That’s odd, I didn’t know a book just released was available 5 years ago. Go figure.  Ed.]

  15. KD Martin says:

    “I love it when a supposed feud designed to sell books gets no traction except from the media looking to attract attention.” – Dvora­k on this book.

    See Market Watch


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