The Accidental Zillionaire: Demystifying Paul Allen

By Laura Rich

Book Overview

The first in-depth look at one of the world's richest-and most secretive-businessmen

Though his wealth is certainly no secret, the world's fourth richest man remains an enigma. Paul Allen made his fortune as Bill Gates's partner in Microsoft, supplemented it with questionable, though often profitable, venture capital schemes, and has since invested his wealth in a widely divergent list of interests. He owns the NBA's Portland Trailblazers and the NFL's Seattle Seahawks. Among hundreds of smaller ventures, he is a primary stakeholder in the film production company DreamWorks SKG and formerly held a large piece of the widely despised Ticketmaster monopoly. Dubbed the "Accidental Zillionaire" by Wired magazine, Allen has often appeared to be a bumbler who succeeded primarily through luck and by coopting the visionary ideas of others. In The Accidental Zillionaire, Laura Rich, one of the foremost chroniclers of the Internet economy, unravels the secret Paul Allen, his inner motivations, his vision, and his personality. She tells Allen's story from his days as a fledgling computer geek in suburban Washington state, to his role in founding the world's largest software company, to his battle with cancer, to his sycophantic flirtation with Hollywood and its brightest stars. Paul Allen is a man of various interests and passions, but few if any know him well. The Accidental Zillionaire for the first time reveals the inner workings of a towering figure in the worlds of technology, business, sports, and entertainment.

Laura Rich (Los Angeles, CA) is a former writer for The Industry Standard, Adweek, and Inside Media. She currently covers the world of digital entertainment for Entertainment Weekly, Fortune, and The Hollywood Reporter. She penned The Standard's popular "Rich List" report and has reported on Paul Allen for years.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471234915
• ISBN13: 9780471234913
• Release Date: December 2002
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.9" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

A Good Read!

It's hard not to envy Paul Allen. A son of Oklahomans who moved to Seattle, he went to a private school, met Bill Gates, helped start Microsoft and has had billions of dollars to play with almost ever since. OK, so when Microsoft first went public, he only had a hundred million or so to play with. He's been sued for sexual harassment, owns a big chunk of a hot movie studio and is still an ordinary slob. Allen and his family refused to cooperate with the author, so nothing is straight from the horse's mouth - at least not that horse. The author shows admirable self restraint for the first several chapters, but really pulls the lid off later in the book. Allen comes off looking like a junior level IT nerd who won the lottery, a weirdly fascinating, odd guy. The book is easy enough to read, though it relies mainly on secondary sources and press reports, and is repetitious, disjointed and inclined to skip important information, such as dates. But, if you want the gossipy side of the Microsoft story, We suggest this as your vacation reading.

Great read!

I was always interested in Paul Allen but didn't know much know much about him. This book is a great introduction and a great read, because it's sort of a fantasy -- what would you do if you accidentally made 20 billion bucks? It's like those lottery ads you see on the subway, "Hey, you never know." Allen bought a basketball team, built a museum partly dedicated to Jimi Hendrix, a huge house, fixed up a Cinerama movie theater, invested in Hollywood. For a big oaf of a nonentity, Rich (great name! Wonder if it's real) manages to bring him alive (something he could use help with generally) and make him pretty interesting. And he's much less annoying than Bill Gates. I highly recommend it.

Great overview of the life of a man who has shaped our times

I bought Accidental Zillionaire on impulse. I passed it on the end cap and thought it looked interesting. It was! Even though I live in the Seattle area and end up following Allen through the news he makes here, this was a terrific - and fair - look at the whole life of Paul Allen. The author did a great job getting the story straight and demystifying Allen. I suppose one of the things most famous people must tire of is inaccuracies about their lives. It seems as though the author did a good job of sticking with facts and not getting into too much rumor and innuendo that would have made this book a gossip work rather than a read that gives you insight into the life and times of Allen. I thought the book's take on the relationship between Allen and Gates was particularly interesting - especially how Allen has lived his post Microsoft life trying to get another success under his belt - one that would prove that MS wasn't just the vision and success of Gates, with Allen along for the ride. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a great overview of Allen's life and work.

A Great Read

I saw this book in the bookstore window and was curious. The onlything I knew about Paul Allen was that he and Bill Gates foundedMicrosoft. The book is a fascinating, insightful tale of a per-plexing multi-billionaire who struggles to grasp the brass ring,predict again the future of technology, and make it his own. Theauthor spotlights the reasons for Allen's myriad interests, aswell as, the conflicts between his self-perception as "an ideaman" and an inconsistent venture capitalist. I couldn't put the book down. Its easy to read, carefully researched, highlyrecommended.

A Must-Read!

Laura Rich pierces the Allen veil to show the man and the business he has built. This book demystifies the highly private billionaire, Paul Allen, and gives you a first rate look at his life from his upbringing in Seattle as a fledging computer geek, to founding the world's largest software company. Rich touches on many unexplored angles about Allen's life from his quirky private nature, the roots of the passions that drive his investments; and the nature of his relationships to family, friends and colleagues. An overall great look at one of the richest men in America.