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4.5
Paul Allen is one of the original founders of Microsoft and is probably the idea man behind the company which is why the title of this autobiography precisely matches the person behind it. You read a book like this to understand how man interacts with technology, and how much of success is luck versus controlled passion. You also read it to realize that a person like Allen is not that much different from the rest of us? He simply came through the funnel. The funnel is a term I never understood until one day I was walking through Harvard Yard and a Ph.D. friend of mine in biotechnology said to me, everybody talks about Bill Gates and Microsoft. There were 200 guys working on operating systems, he's simply the one that came through the funnel.The more I thought about it, the more I realize my friend was right. The whole world knows Bill Gates, but Gates needed Paul Allen to get the job done, just as Steve Jobs needed Stephen Wozniak, and Michael Eisner at Disney needed Frank Wells. Nobody ever really does it alone, and whether you get it done is to some extent a matter of pure luck. After reading this book, I found I loved it. It was refreshingly honest. Allen needed to get this book out of him, out of his soul.There were some things that he found needed to be said, and he sure said them. He goes after Gates in the book. He lets the reader know that Gates hurt him personally. Allen found Gates talking behind his back with Steve Ballmer current CEO of Microsoft about cutting back on the percentage of the company that Paul Allen owned. Gates and Ballmer were not aware that Allen could hear them discussing it.Allen would survive Microsoft which had made him wealthy beyond all reason only to deal with life threatening illnesses which probably brought him wisdom that one could not find any other way. It is the first half of the book that I found absolutely compelling. This was the creation of the extraordinary software company that he and Gates co-founded. The risks they took were described in detail. Gates walking out of Harvard College to pursue the dream which Allen created, while Gates narrowed the dream down to something both manageable, and achievable. You could read the first half of this book in one seating because it is fast moving, compelling, and really interesting, especially if you are into technology.It is also clear that there are things that Allen simply does not want to talk about or explore. He is a deft writer and for a first book, surprisingly well written. You will not be disappointed with the style. Perhaps he is so intellectual that the core of the man does not shine through this book, or perhaps Mr. Allen simply does not want to open himself up, which is okay, because in the end, it is his narrative.I liked the second half of the book as well. I simply did not like it as much as the first half. Others may differ, and should. You are looking at 22 chapters spread over 331 pages. My favorite chapters were:3) Lakeside8) Partners11) Borrowed Time20) SearchingCONCLUSION:Paul Allen's autobiography allows us to witness the inception and creation of one of the world's truly important companies from idea to billion dollar colossus. Yes you can change the world if you want to, and if your idea is big enough to do it. The evolution of this idea man who is still growing is a fascinating journey for any one of us to spend a few hours exploring, and I hope that you will take the time to do it, and thank you for reading this review.Richard Stoyeck
