allen

The man who helped Bill Gates found Microsoft says he thinks it's time to break up the massive Redmond, Washington-based tech firm. Paul Allen says Microsoft should consider spinning off some of its businesses, including Bing search and Xbox. Allen ... and Gates founded Microsoft in 1975. Today, Allen holds a $2 billion stake in the firm. Allen didn't speak directly to the media on this issue. Instead, Paul Ghaffari, the chief investment officer who manages Allen's $15 billion fortune, made the statements on behalf of Allen at the Financial Times Investment Management Summit. Microsoft Distracted ... (view more)

Last week Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said he finds Windows 8 "very exciting" and suggested that packaging the new operating system (OS) with innovative hardware devices (like tablet computers) would greatly increase consumer interest. Now, ... another Microsoft co-founder has offered a different review of Windows 8. Paul Allen believes Windows 8 is "bold and innovative," but also finds some parts of the OS "puzzling." In a blog post written earlier this week, Allen wrote he believes Windows 8 is a "snappier and more responsive" operating system than its predecessors, and that its tile- ... (view more)

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has become the victim of an online identity fraud attack. According to reports, a former United States Army soldier used a debit card linked to one of Allen's accounts to attempt several fraudulent transactions. ... Federal investigators have revealed that Brandon Lee Price, a 28-year-old U.S. Army deserter from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was able to change the address on a bank account owned by Allen and have a new debit card sent to his home. (Source: suntimes.com ) Citibank Fooled by Classic Scam In order to acquire the card, Price simply phoned Citibank ... (view more)

A new book by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen reveals a lot about the company and the people who ran it during those heady days in the early 1980s. Some of the most fascinating content focuses on Allen's impressions of Microsoft's 'wunderkind' ... leader, Bill Gates -- and not all of it is complimentary. Along with Gates, Allen helped found Microsoft in 1975, though the latter left the company in 1983 after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a form of cancer. Allen beat the disease but never formally returned to Microsoft, instead pursuing a number of other ventures with his newfound ... (view more)

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has failed in a bid to win patent damages against numerous online retailers, as well as Google and YouTube. He's been given until late December to come up with more specific claims. Allen's lawsuit named AOL, Apple, ... eBay, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Yahoo and YouTube, plus retailers Officemax, Office Depot and Staples. But a federal judge said Allen hadn't been specific enough in his filing, meaning "the court and defendants are left to guess what devices infringe on the four patents." (Source: wsj.com ) Patent Copyrights Date back to 1992 The patents belong to ... (view more)