The Accidental Zillionaire: Demystifying Paul Allen

273 Pages·2002·1.54 MB·English

by  Laura Rich

THE
ACCIDENTAL
ZILLIONAIRE:
DEMYSTIFYING
PAUL ALLEN
LAURA RICH
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Praise for The Accidental Zillionaire
“Why is this the first book to be written about Paul Allen, the
enigmatic tech wunderkind who has spent much of his adult life
high atop the World’s Richest Men list? Rich digs deep into
Allen’s past to offer us a quick-paced, entertaining, and illuminat-
ing glimpse into the life of a man who plainly has so much to
prove despite his untold riches.”
Gary Rivlin, author, The Plot to Get Bill Gates
“A disquieting look into high-tech’s enigma, Paul Allen. Once
Laura Rich’s tale begins to unfold, we are treated to a roller-coaster
inventory of odd and interesting facts from Allen’s love affair with
Monica Seles to his make-over by David Geffen. Her depictions
at first bring to mind the Great Gatsby but quickly and dis-
turbingly evolves into a dark portrait of a lost soul. A must-read.”
John C. Dvorak, columnist, PC Magazine
“Paul Allen is the Loch Ness monster of the Internet age. Thank-
fully, Laura Rich got the definitive snapshot, down to the last ec-
centric detail: his passion for technology, his Jimi Hendrix
obsession, his remarkable propensity for failure. In this fast-
paced, gripping book, Rich for the first time captures Allen’s awk-
ward efforts to make high-tech, Hollywood, and Wall Street fit
together.”
James Ledbetter, business editor of TIME Europe,and au-
thor of Starving to Death on $200 Million a Year: The Short,
Absurd Life of The Industry Standard
“The Accidental Zillionaire combines smart analysis of Paul Allen’s
multifaceted and complex business dealings along with eye-pop-
ping details about his billionaire lifestyle and personality.”
Alan Deutschman, author, The Second Coming of Steve Jobs
“Paul Allen is the sort of billionaire you almost feel sorry for. A
geek by nature, he seems ill-suited for many of his pursuits in
business and often lives in the shadow of Bill Gates, his childhood
friend. An excellent chronicle of a strange and fascinating charac-
ter who at the heart of it all just wants to be cool.”
Melanie Warner, senior writer, Fortune
“After reading this book, I will never look at Paul Allen the same
way again. He’s an odd duck.”
John Motavalli, author, Bamboozled at the Revolution
THE
ACCIDENTAL
ZILLIONAIRE

THE
ACCIDENTAL
ZILLIONAIRE
D P A
EMYSTIFYING AUL LLEN
LAURA RICH
JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC.
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Copyright © 2003 by Laura Rich. All rights reserved.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Rich, Laura, 1970–
The accidental zillionaire : demystifying Paul Allen / Laura Rich.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-471-23491-5 ((CLOTH) : alk. paper)
1. Allen, Paul, 1953– 2. Businesspeople—United States—Biography.
I. Title.
HC102.5.A49 R53 2003
338.7′610053′092—dc21
2002012694
Printed in the United States of America.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For my parents

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S
I
was often asked during the writing of this book whether I’d
spent much time on Paul Allen’s jets, at his parties, or in any of
his many homes around the world. For a moment, I would
imagine with them a sort of fabulous lifestyle I’d been leading
since taking on this book. Then, I’d tell them that Allen didn’t
work with me on this project and my thoughts would turn to the
many people who went out of their way and risked their relation-
ships with one of the world’s richest and most powerful men to
help me tell this story. Some of them offered up exhaustive
amounts of their time–quite literally. At the end of one marathon
interview, one former executive of an Allen company begged off,
claiming he was “tired now.” But, he said, he’d had fun. That’s
good. If there’s one thing Allen is concerned about, it’s trying to
enjoy life as often as possible. I thank those sources for their sto-
ries and their enthusiasm.
Paul Allen’s story would remain untold were it not for the vi-
sion of Matthew Holt, my editor at John Wiley & Sons, who con-
ceived of a book on Allen. Matt’s eagerness fueled this project
through every stage. I cannot thank him enough for that, and for
his down-to-earth good nature. It was a comfort whenever new
questions or concerns arose as the book was coming together.
My agent, Susan Barry at the Swayne Agency, must be
thanked for bringing this exciting and rewarding project to my
attention in the first place. As the project unfolded, she remained
a trusty source of help. I am indebted to her.
There were many people who gave hours of their time in var-
ious ways. I would like to give special thanks to those who put in
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