Did Bill Gates really rip off Paul Allen?

That's the juiciest allegation in Allen's new memoir "Idea Man," and he gets to fan the flames a little further this Sunday on "60 Minutes." Basically, Allen claims that Gates cheated him out of Microsoft stock when the company was just getting started, but All Things Digital's Kara Swisher is dubious:

I have to say, Gates is one tough customer. But-having interviewed both him and Allen many times over the years-I am going to say gently that perhaps Allen is overstating the incident to sell books and maybe his recollections are, um, cloudy with a chance of sour grapes.

Actually, Allen comes off somewhat mealy-mouthed when he's asked about the episode in this clip. And the guy is still a mega-billionaire, no matter what Gates did or did not do.


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Mark Lacter
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.
 
Mark Lacter, business writer and editor was 59
The multi-talented Mark Lacter
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