Sad. Paul Allen, the cofounder of Microsoft, and the one who picked the name of the company, died today at the age of 65 while undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
After having previously defeated cancer back in 2009, Allen revealed earlier this month that the disease had gone into remission. Though he stopped shy of sharing how critical his condition was at that point in time.
He founded Microsoft in 1975 along with Bill Gates, though decided to leave the company some eight years later, serving as a board member instead.
Later, he became one of the leading philanthropists in the world, awarding more than $2 billion in his lifetime for the betterment of education, wildlife and environmental conservation.
Technology leaders have expressed their condolences following the news of his passing.
Gates, one of his closest friends:
“From our early days together at Lakeside School, through our partnership in the creation of Microsoft, to some of our joint philanthropic projects over the years, Paul was a true partner and dear friend. Personal computing would not have existed without him.
But Paul wasn’t content with starting one company. He channeled his intellect and compassion into a second act focused on improving people’s lives and strengthening communities in Seattle and around the world. He was fond of saying, “If it has the potential to do good, then we should do it.” That’s the kind of person he was.
Paul loved life and those around him, and we all cherished him in return. He deserved much more time, but his contributions to the world of technology and philanthropy will live on for generations to come. I will miss him tremendously.”
Current Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, also released a statement praising Allen for the work he did in his early days at the company, while Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai also had kind words for his role in the industry.
One of the good ones!
