Bill Gates' and Paul Allen's friendship repaired?
Allen writes a new epilogue to his controversial memoir that addresses a yearlong hiatus from his fellow Microsoft co-founder saying, "I believe we will be friends again," GeekWire reports.
When Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen published his book "Idea Man" last year, he surprised many people by tearing into his longtime friend and business partner Bill Gates.
In a new epilogue published for the paperback version of this book, which comes out this week, Allen writes that after a yearlong rift, the two men have repaired their friendship, according to GeekWire.
"Not everyone loved everything I wrote," Allen writes. "Some of my Microsoft friends were piqued that I'd cast the company's recent history in 'not the most favorable light,' as one of them told me. But almost everyone soon got past their unhappiness -- with the exception of Bill Gates."
But, shortly after Allen's mother died this past June, Allen writes that Gates contacted him with condolences and wishes to restore their friendship.
When "Idea Man" first published, Allen created quite a controversy in the Microsoft community. He alleged that Gates and the then recently hired (now CEO) Steve Ballmer sought ways to take ownership stakes from Allen's share of Microsoft -- even when Allen was wrestling with cancer.
"I helped start the company and was still an active member of management, though limited by my illness, and now my partner and my colleague were scheming to rip me off," Allen wrote. "It was mercenary opportunism, plain and simple."
After the controversy, Allen appeared on "60 Minutes" and said that the book was not an act of revenge against Gates, but instead was meant to serve as a record of what happened.
"It's not about [revenge]," Allen said in the TV interview. "I just felt like it's an important piece of technology history and I should tell it like it happened, and I hope people understand and respect that."
Allen reiterates this sentiment in his book's new epilogue, according to GeekWire. "I believe we will be friends again," he writes. "The history we share is more powerful than whatever comes between us."