MSFT Microsoft Corporation

By Jay Greene 

Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft Corp. who went on to invest his fortune in ventures from the Seattle Seahawks to brain research to the arts, died Monday, two weeks after revealing the return of a cancer he had received treatment for years ago . He was 65 years old.

Mr. Allen's company, Vulcan Inc., announced his death.

Mr. Allen rose to fame as a pioneer in personal computing. In 1975, he joined with his high-school friend Bill Gates to found Microsoft, a software company that in the ensuing decades went on to dominate the PC industry.

In a story that has become part of Silicon Valley lore, Mr. Allen raced to share with Mr. Gates an article about a computer called the MITS Altair 8800 that appeared in the January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics magazine. Mr. Gates, a student at Harvard University at the time, dropped out to start the new software company with his friend.

"Paul Allen's contributions to our company, our industry and to our community are indispensable," Satya Nadella, Microsoft's current chief executive, wrote in a post on the company's LinkedIn service. "As co-founder of Microsoft, in his own quiet and persistent way, he created magical products, experiences and institutions, and in doing so, he changed the world."

Mr. Allen's post-Microsoft life included a range of philanthropic work through Vulcan, including support for the protection of endangered species, research into climate change and efforts to combat epidemics. He also invested in sports franchises close to his home base, including the National Football League's Seahawks and the National Basketball Association's Portland Trail Blazers.

Mr. Allen was Microsoft's chief technology officer when he left in 1983 after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. As Microsoft's shares grew, Mr. Allen, like Mr. Gates, became a billionaire. He used that fortune to build his own business empire investing in cable, entertainment, real estate and science.

And he became a philanthropist as well, giving away more than $2 billion. Some of those gifts, through The Paul G. Allen Philanthropies, including funds addressing climate change challenges, Zika and other pandemics, and homelessness. Mr. Allen had joined Mr. Gates and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. investor Warren Buffett in a pledge to give away more than half their fortunes. His fortune is estimated at about $20 billion, according to Forbes.

Mr. Allen revealed two weeks ago that non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which he had fought in 2009 had returned. He said he had begun treatment, and that his doctors were optimistic.

"My brother was a remarkable individual on every level," his sister and former Vulcan executive Jody Allen said in a written statement. "While most knew Paul Allen as a technologist and philanthropist, for us he was a much loved brother and uncle, and an exceptional friend."

Mr. Allen was fascinated by science, and created the Allen Institute for Brain Science, to help better understand how the brain works, as well as the Allen Institute for Cell Science, to study complex cells in order to advance biomedical research. He also funded the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence.

Write to Jay Greene at Jay.Greene@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 15, 2018 20:09 ET (00:09 GMT)

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