by Paul Allen
First published 2011
Paul Allen opens his memoir by reflecting on a life that took him from Microsoft's founding to becoming one of the world's most influential billionaires by age thirty. Allen reveals how he and his partner built Microsoft from the ground up, sharing previously unknown details about the company's true origins. He describes his ventures beyond software into space travel with SpaceShipOne, brain science research, and investments across technology, medicine, sports, and music. Allen writes with candor about both his successes and failures, explaining his problem-solving methods and the intellectual curiosity that drove each new initiative. The memoir takes on added urgency after Allen's 2009 lymphoma diagnosis prompted him to finally tell his story. He offers readers insight into how passion and resources can transform ideas into world-changing realities, closing with his vision for the future.
Genres: biography, business, autobiography, memoir, technology, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: memoir, personal-journey
Setting: Microsoft
Period: 21st-century
358 pages · Hardcover · Portfolio