Microsoft founder lashes out at rivals

Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, says Steve Jobs is ‘monomaniacal’ and describes Google duo’s ‘elbows and claws’ Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, has lashed out at internet rivals such as Apple and described Google as “evil”. After his views on his co-founder, Bill Gates, emerged last month w hen extracts from his memoirs were published in the US , Allen is now focusing on his rivals. He describes Steve Jobs, the boss of Apple who is on medical leave, as “monomaniacal”. In an interview with the Sunday Times, Allen criticises Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the co-founders of Google, for their corporate mission statement: “Don’t be evil”. Allen talked about their “elbows and claws” in their pursuit for growth. “I chuckle when I see people pushing the boundaries all the time of what they can do to monetise things, capture things – and then say, we’re not evil, as if their default is not to push the boundaries,” Allen said. “If your default is to push the boundaries, to just go for it, and then see if you get pushed back, then don’t say you’re not evil,” he added. Google was criticised after it emerged that while it was gathering the images for its Street View site, it was also collecting information on email addresses and passwords. In his autobiography, Idea Man, Allen describes how he and Gates were inseparable at school in Seattle but their relationship later soured and he describes Gates as a sarcastic bully who tried to force him out of the company. Allen describes how Gates brought in Steve Ballmer, the current boss, and how after returning from fighting Hodgkin’s lymphoma he heard the pair trying to reduce his influence – and confronted them about their intentions. It sparked Allen’s resignation and he refused an offer to buy him out for $5 a share – a sensible move given the share price is now $25 and his fortune is estimated at $13bn. Microsoft Computing Internet Apple Google Steve Jobs Sergey Brin Larry Page Jill Treanor guardian.co.uk

Posted by on April 24, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.