Thursday, March 31, 2011

Bill Gates vs. "Idea Man" Paul Allen: the sad autobiography problem | TG Daily

Closing paragraphs of a timely Paul Allen reality check by Rob Enderle

In a way, Paul Allen's autobiography reflects why he hasn't been successful since Microsoft and why Microsoft was more successful without him. He just didn't grasp what is important about an book like this, namely, that it should convey experiences which can prevent others from making the same mistakes you made.  

It could have also entertained, because sometimes the funniest stories are the ones where you screwed up. Although Paul has quite a lot of those stories, they simply prompted many of us to highlight errors about issues that otherwise wouldn't even be interesting.  

In the end, Paul never seemed to get the age-old motto: if you are going to do something, do it right or not at all. Unfortunately, based on early reviews, Allen and his book seemed to have utterly ignored such advice.

Bill Gates vs. "Idea Man" Paul Allen: the sad autobiography problem | TG Daily

1 comment:

Uread said...

According to "Time", Paul Allen is one of the '100 Most Influential People In The World.' "Idea Man" is the story of the fascinating life of a man who has made an unprecedented impact in science, technology, business, sports, music, and philanthropy. His memoir features previously untold stories that offer insight into everything from the true origins of Microsoft to a behind-the-scenes view of the dawn of private space travel. It offers reflections from someone who has led an extraordinary life, learned a lot, and helped improve the world.
Paul Allen