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Audiobook12 hours
Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft
Written by Paul Allen
Narrated by Sean Runnette
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this audiobook
By his early thirties, Paul Allen was a world-famous billionaire-and that was just the beginning.
In 2007 and 2008, Time named Paul Allen, the cofounder of Microsoft, one of the hundred most influential people in the world. Since he made his fortune, his impact has been felt in science, technology, business, medicine, sports, music, and philanthropy. His passion, curiosity, and intellectual rigor-combined with the resources to launch and support new initiatives-have literally changed the world.
In 2009 Allen discovered that he had lymphoma, lending urgency to his desire to share his story for the first time. In this long-awaited memoir, Allen explains how he has solved problems, what he's learned from his many endeavors-both the triumphs and the failures-and his compelling vision for the future. He reflects candidly on an extraordinary life.
The book also features previously untold stories about everything from the true origins of Microsoft to Allen's role in the dawn of private space travel (with SpaceShipOne) and in discoveries at the frontiers of brain science. With honesty, humor, and insight, Allen tells the story of a life of ideas made real.
In 2007 and 2008, Time named Paul Allen, the cofounder of Microsoft, one of the hundred most influential people in the world. Since he made his fortune, his impact has been felt in science, technology, business, medicine, sports, music, and philanthropy. His passion, curiosity, and intellectual rigor-combined with the resources to launch and support new initiatives-have literally changed the world.
In 2009 Allen discovered that he had lymphoma, lending urgency to his desire to share his story for the first time. In this long-awaited memoir, Allen explains how he has solved problems, what he's learned from his many endeavors-both the triumphs and the failures-and his compelling vision for the future. He reflects candidly on an extraordinary life.
The book also features previously untold stories about everything from the true origins of Microsoft to Allen's role in the dawn of private space travel (with SpaceShipOne) and in discoveries at the frontiers of brain science. With honesty, humor, and insight, Allen tells the story of a life of ideas made real.
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Reviews for Idea Man
Rating: 3.904254042553191 out of 5 stars
4/5
47 ratings9 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent. I want to adopt him as my eccentric rich uncle and hope he sends a little my way. What does a very wealthy person do when he's no longer driving the technical side of Microsoft? Well, pretty much anything. He lived for himself - Portland Trailblazers and Seattle Seahawks, plus a 414 foot yacht that has a minisub and two helos - and others. Unlike the Koch brothers who only know how to destroy with their wealth, Allen helped so many people, including villages in Africa. Mapping the brain? No problem. Commercial flights into space when the US can't put it's own astronauts up there? No problem. Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma? No problem for the first and so far so good on the second.
I liked his candor...he paints Bill Gates fairly as a conqueror, regardless of the cost, but also acknowledges that there is still a friendship after the hurt. Steve Jobs is treated almost as an afterthought. And then the fun starts. I was almost put off by the title, because after Microsoft, what was there in the way of ideas? Well... quite a lot. Allen has vision to spare and he puts his not inconsiderable money in support of those visions, even at losses unimaginable to pretty much all of us, but he persists.
So, I've read Isaacson's bio of the miserable excuse for a human that was Jobs; Woz's autobio (which was as equally low key as Allen's); and this. I suppose something from Gates is next. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What a great 'fly on the wall' peek into the start of Microsoft. I was surprised at the scope and number of bad investments he made. Personally I could have skipped the sports chapter. Allen seems like 'just a guy' even with his heaps of $$$ he still is in awe of certain musicians he admires. And can't quite seem to grasp the immensity of his wealth. How terrific that he survived his 'wake-up' calls and could go on to enjoy his money and put it to good use. What a fantastic role model.
I supposed he wouldn't have been able to accomplish so much if he'd have to dilute his energy with a wife and family but I still can't help wishing those things for him.
How odd that I read this right after Steven's Pinker's 'the Language Instinct.' And I admit I'm fascinated with the problem of indexing and cataloging knowledge. It seems to me that if some one would use Pinker's logic to come up with an object oriented intelligence system that could be used to index the (unfathomable and undigestable) tsunami of information currently at our fingertips. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Life Well Lived and Most Educational Read Well Done!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An outstanding memoir. It's inspiring how much experience and diversity can be in a single life. A must read for anyone
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The first half of the book is really good. It gets kind of boring in the second half almost until the end
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent! Simply excellent! Found it informative and inspiring. Paul Allen will truly be missed.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Another easy to read (auto)biography. Unlike so many of his ilk, Paul Allen found many ways to enjoy his money.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fascinating biography.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The first half, covering his time at Microsoft, is very interesting, more so if you are a geek. The after MS part of the book reads more like a series of blog posts about all the cool stuff he gets to do with his billions of dollars. I found myself skimming a lot towards the end.
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