Bill Gates writes moving tribute to Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen

Microsoft
founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen.

Reuters

• Bill Gates has published a tribute to his Microsoft
  cofounder Paul Allen in The Wall Street Journal.
• He reflects on meeting Allen in high school and
  starting Microsoft together.
• “Paul deserved more time in life,” Gates
  wrote.

Following the
death this week of Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen at the age of
65, Bill Gates has written a moving tribute to business
partner and friend in
The Wall Street Journal.

Gates said he met Allen when he was in 7th grade and it changed
his life forever. He reflects on sneaking off with Allen to
tinker with computers. “It sounds geeky, and it was, but it was
also a formative experience, and I’m not sure I would have had
the courage to do it without Paul,” said Gates.

He also remembers the moment that Allen came to him in 1974 and
Microsoft was born.

“One day he came and got me, insisting that I rush over to a
nearby newsstand with him. When we arrived, he showed me the
cover of the January issue of Popular Electronics. It featured a
new computer called the Altair 8800, which ran on a powerful new
chip. Paul looked at me and said: ‘This is happening without us!’
That moment marked the end of my college career and the beginning
of our new company, Microsoft.”

He remembers fondly Allen’s ability to explain complex ideas in
simple terms, his musical talent, and his generosity.

“His generosity was as wide-ranging as his interests. In our
hometown of Seattle, Paul helped fund homeless shelters, brain
research, and arts education.

“He also built the amazing Museum of Pop Culture, which houses
some of his huge collection of music, science fiction, and movie
memorabilia,” writes Gates, who is himself
a famous philanthropist.

He concluded: “Paul deserved more time in life. He would have
made the most of it. I will miss him tremendously.”

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