The death of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen brought with it an outpouring of reaction across social media on Monday, from the companies and institutions he created and owned to the people he interacted with during his life as a pioneer in technology, philanthropy, sports, the arts and elsewhere.
NEWS: Paul Allen, 1953-2018: Microsoft co-founder leaves legacy of innovation, philanthropy, bold bets
From Microsoft CEOs past and present to players from the Seattle Seahawks and beyond, Allen was remembered as a visionary leader who gave back to the world across a number of initiatives he cared about.
Tech
The world of personal computing would not have existed were it not for Allen’s contributions, his childhood friend and Microsoft partner Bill Gates said in a statement. In Seattle and beyond, the tech world remembered a pioneer.
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Politics
Allen reshaped Seattle with his bold moves around real estate, cultural institutions, science and more. From Redmond, Wash., where Microsoft grew into a tech giant, to CenturyLink Field, home to a Seahawks team Allen kept from moving away, to South Lake Union, where Vulcan Inc. continues to play a huge part in Amazon’s development of an urban campus, Allen left his stamp on the look and feel of the Seattle region.
Sports
As the owner of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, Allen was beloved across the world of sports. In 2014, Allen won his first championship with the Seahawks.
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The arts
As a huge fan of music, Allen famously built an ode of sorts to Jimi Hendrix and rock ‘n’ roll with a museum at the base of Seattle’s Space Needle, originally called the Experience Music Project. Since renamed and now the Museum of Pop Culture, Allen’s love of rock and sci-fi and pop culture are combined under one colorful, curvy roof.
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Exploration
Allen had a deep commitment to exploration and to the protection of the deep seas and his teams were at the forefront of helping to locate and recover long lost naval vessels. He also worked to protect sea life and the led projects involved in global shark data.
Science and medicine
Allen’s philanthropic pursuits led to the fight against disease on a number of levels, across the globe. In Seattle, for example, he championed research around the human brain and created the Allen Institute.
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