Idea Man
by Allen, Paul · first published 2012
71% recommend29% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Microsoft cofounder's memoir, valued for its firsthand account of Traf-O-Data, writing BASIC and founding Microsoft with a young Gates. Also covers his later life and travels. Suits tech-history readers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
In this long-awaited memoir, Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, explains how he has solved problems, what he's learned from his many endeavors—both the triumphs and the failures—and his compelling vision for the future.
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…Michael Lewis - "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs", Alan Deutschman - "Revolution in The Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made", Andy Hertzfeld - "Masters of Doom", David Kushner - "Idea Man", Paul Allen - "Where Wizards Stay Up Late", Katie Hafner >> Entertaining stories, but less historical value: - "Ghost in the Wires", Kevin Mitnick - "Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure…
on “Ask HN: What are more books like “Masters of Doom” or “Showstoppers”?” ↗…techonology world would look like if Paul Allen didn't get cancer and had to retire from Microsoft before the age of 40.. If anyone is interested, I implore you to read Paul Allen's autobiography, The Idea Man. One of the best books I have ever read, you are amazed at what kind of man Paul Allen was. One of my favorite stories is when Allen and Gates made their first BASIC and had to go pitch it to Albuquerque…
on “The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann (2019)” ↗Read this: * Bill Gates's memoir/vision book, The Road Ahead (1995) * Paul Allen's memoir book, Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft (2011) Watch this: * Pirates of Silicon Valley TV movie (funny but accurate, based on Triumph of the Nerds interviews) * Triumph of the Nerds (TV docu, 1996,…
on “What Microsoft is this the Altair Basic of?” ↗Nobody has written a modern, high quality, comprehensive biography of Gates. I'd recommend these three: Hard Drive (1993), by James Wallace Gates (1992), by Stephen Manes Idea Man (2011), by Paul Allen Idea Man is available for $5 on the Kindle right now and is an excellent read, however Gates is only a secondary major character for 1/3 of the book. It does cover the early days…
on “Bill Gates Resume (1974)” ↗…Isaacson's biography - "The Innovators" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today - "Ghost in the Wires" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it - "Idea Man" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗…Jobs here) (auto)biographies I've read over the years that I found inspiring, I'm sure there are many more. Here are some out of the top of my head: - Steve Job's official bio - iWoz - Paul Allen's Idea Man - Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture (the video is of course better) - Masters of Doom What are yours? Thanks!
on “Ask HN: inspiring geeks/tech (auto)biographies” ↗…Control Markets, Wage Wars by Shankar Vedantam The Googlization of Everything: (And Why We Should Worry) by Siva Vaidhyanathan In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy Idea Man: A Memoir by Paul Allen The Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar
on “Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..” ↗"Idea Man" by Paul Allen A historical autobiography of Mr. Allen (cofounder of Microsoft). The first half about Traf-O-Data, Basic and founding Microsoft is especially interesting.
on “Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?” ↗…Silicon Valley Story, Michael Lewis The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman Machines of Loving Grace, by John Markoff The Innovators, by Walter Isaacson Ghost in the Wires, by Kevin Mitnick Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft, by Paul Allen Creativity, Inc, by Ed Catmull (reading) >> Startups: The Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz The Founder's Dilemmas, Noam Wasserman…
on “Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?” ↗Paul himself told that story in his autobiography, "The Idea Man" [1], in colorful details. The first half of the book is full of anecdotes of those early days, the relationship with Bill Gates, and the beginnings of Microsoft. It's a great read. Really sad he went…
on “What I loved about Paul Allen” ↗First, condolences to the family! It is interesting to read about co-founder relations, reading it made me think of Paul Allen and Bill Gates. If anyone hasn't read Paul Allen's Idea Man, please do! One of the best biographies I have ever read, such a loving read. Reading this article reminded me how Paul Allen described the early days of coding with Bill when there were just two of…
on “On the Loss of a Cofounder” ↗I like your list. As I was thinking of teaching a similar course in the summer of 2022, I may borrow some of your readings with thanks. Here are some suggested additions: Allen, Paul (2011) Idea Man. Altshuller, Genrich (1999). The Innovation Algorithm: TRIZ, systematic innovation, and technical creativity. Worcester, MA: Technical Innovation Center. ISBN 978-0-9640740-4-0. Schumpeter, Joseph A.…
on “Economics of Innovation: Detailed Reading List (2019)” ↗…than him. Also behind the scenes Bill Gates has a personality and then some. More F-bombs were dropped in Microsoft board meetings than Stratton Oakmont's . You have to read Paul Allen's 2011 book: Idea Man. Of course an elder statesman can't go on live tv and pull this sort of antics. Very much like Bellichick and Brady didn't go on TV to pull such antics. Doesn't mean that they (like Gates, Michael Jordan,…
on “The Overview Effect – William Shatner's Words After Returning from Space” ↗"Idea Man" by Paul Allen. I just loved its story about being young and deciding (with young Bill Gates) that what they needed to do next was to write an operating system....
on “Great Celebrity Memoirs?” ↗…successful). 4. Fred Wilson's blog, including MBA Mondays. Answers many questions from the perspective of a VC who can watch multiple companies execution at the same time and tell many humble stories. 5. Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft by Paul Allen. It shows you the deep story before Microsoft, seems like a unique technological and advanced experience at that time by Bill Gates and Paul Allen.
on “Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?” ↗