Founders

#44 A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft

Oct 30, 2018

01:22:37

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Highlights

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Episode notes

Development tools for the 8008 chip and moving to Boston

01:19

Pursue Passion Over Practicality

02:06

Health Issues and Lifelong Friendship

01:57

The Importance of Intimacy in a Large Company

03:56

Introduction

4min

The Idea for the Altair 8800 Microprocessor

2min

Paul Allen and the Altair 8800

2min

Podcast Founders' App - Paul Allen and Ed Catmull

3min

Do as I Say, Not as I've Done

3min

Paul Allen's Dad Says, Hey, Just Do So Please. Do Something You Love

2min

Paul Allen's Passion Is Programming

2min

How to Help a Student See the Error of His Ways

2min

Having Haunted the Stacks of UW's Computer Science Library

2min

10.

The Story of Bill Gates and Paul Allen

2min

11.

The Business Model of TRAF-O-Data

3min

12.

The Failure of the Traffic Data Machine

2min

13.

How to Be a Supportive and Encouraged Parent

3min

14.

Thinking From First Principles

3min

15.

Microsoft - What's Next for Microsoft?

2min

16.

The Unfair Co-Founders Part Two

2min

17.

The Unfair Co-Founders Part Two

2min

18.

Microsoft and Bill Gates - The Fallout With Ed Roberts

2min

19.

A Falling Out With Ed Roberts Leads to a Major Win for Microsoft

4min

20.

I Was Dead Set Against Moving to the Bay Area

2min

21.

How Seattle Inherited What Is Now Microsoft

3min

22.

What if You Could Have That Intimate Bond With People That You Don't Have in a Large Company?

2min

23.

Microsoft's Bill Gates Letter - The Apple II

2min

24.

The Unequal Co-Founders Part Three

3min

25.

86 DOS - The Foundation of the Future of Personal Computer Technology

2min

26.

The End of Paul Allen's Time at Microsoft

3min

27.

I've Been There, Done That, Don't You?

3min

28.

The End of Paul Allen's Time at Microsoft

4min

29.

How Paul Allen Lost $40 Billion From American Online

3min

30.

Steve Case's Biggest Threat

2min

31.

The Most Important Realizations of Life

2min

32.

I'm Not a Grad, but I've Found My Purpose in Life

4min

What I learned from reading Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft by Paul Allen

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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)

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