Let’s take a quick look at how one technology innovator managed to become one of the most generous men ever to live…
Due to his technological genius, Paul Allen managed to amass 13.5 billion dollars over his lifetime. Co- founding Microsoft, one of the most important companies in the world, gave Allen riches beyond his wildest imagination. Some would keep the money and spend it, Paul Allen, however decided to give half his fortune away to worthy causes. This act of extreme generosity will help millions of people across the world.
‘’I believe that those fortunate to achieve great wealth should put it to work for the good of humanity’’ Allen wrote in 2010 when he signed the Giving Pledge. This pledge was signed by 40 billionaires who agreed to give away half of their overall wealth to charity. With Paul Allen being one of the top ten richest people in the world, this ensured a huge amount of money would go to great causes that would aid humanity.
Allen, who sadly died of cancer in 2018 wanted to see his wealth solve contemporary problems while he was still around to see them. In 2012 he was recognised as the most generous living donor in the entire United States of America. His donations included, $100 million to fund innovative medical research and another $100 million to help fight the outbreak of Ebola.
Some of the tech wizard’s more fun purchases included buying the Seattle Seahawks and purchasing nearly a 20% stake in DreamWorks. He was proud of his roots in Seattle and often invested in the local sports clubs. Allen loved to travel and visited some of the best places on Earth. He also bought one of the best yachts on the planet. The humongous boat included a cinema, swimming pool and over 40 bedroom suits.
Allen, who was only 65 when he died made so much money on a daily basis that it was hard to give away his money. He already had gained 48% more of his overall wealth when he signed the Giving Pledge. That meant when he died he was worth an astonishing $20 billion. This meant he actually only gave away 2% of his wealth during his lifetime. This shows the absurdity of the American money system and the huge gap that is being created between the rich and poor. Even the generous rich folks can’t give away enough of their money!
The Allen Institute was probably Paul Allen’s most beloved cause. The idea was to set up an institute committed to solving some of the biggest mysteries in bioscience. Human cell research and immune system technology could one day, with hope, solve issues such as cancer. Scientists work together in teams to try and conquer these diseases once and for all. If the Allen Institute can achieve its goals, Paul Allen’s legacy will not be that of Microsoft, but as one of the humans who helped fight cancer.