# Would you be more Bill Gates or Paul Allen? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 3, 2008, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-more-bill-gates-or-paul-allen/458673 "2008-08-03T04:17:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-more-bill-gates-or-paul-allen/458673/1 "2008-08-03T04:17:31Z")
Let’s look at the co-founders of Microsoft for a second: Paul Allen took his money and got out. He owns an NBA and an NFL team. He dates supermodels, plays guitar, started a rock museum, and is known for his seriously big boat. Bill Gates kept working until recently. He married a fellow nerd and had a family. He founded a seriously big charity. If you had their wealth, would you be more like Bill or Paul? I know you would be a combo, but I want to know which you would favor. I am definitely more a Paul. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-more-bill-gates-or-paul-allen/458673/2 "2008-08-03T04:47:21Z")
I’d rather be Paul, but I’d probably end up like Bill. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-more-bill-gates-or-paul-allen/458673/3 "2008-08-03T04:55:19Z")
Definitely Bill, except my wife would be a husband. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-more-bill-gates-or-paul-allen/458673/4 "2008-08-03T05:10:36Z")
[QUOTE=Red Barchetta] I’d rather be Paul, but I’d probably end up like Bill. [/QUOTE] Now that I think about it, that’s probably true for me, too. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-more-bill-gates-or-paul-allen/458673/5 "2008-08-03T18:52:30Z")
Can’t I be rich but not work like Paul Allen, but still not be a douche? ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-more-bill-gates-or-paul-allen/458673/6 "2008-08-04T08:41:35Z")
I’d definitely be a Paul. I’d own the Cubs and I’d fight to pry the Bears from the McCaskeys with every resource available to me. If I stumbled into a Supermodel or twos pants I wouldn’t complain. I probably wouldn’t have an obnoxiously huge yacht, opting instead for a handful of merely comically big boats in many ports of call. If only I weren’t dumb and lazy… ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-more-bill-gates-or-paul-allen/458673/7 "2008-08-04T09:45:36Z")
I’d go Gates style. [QUOTE=Omniscient] If only I weren’t dumb and lazy… [/QUOTE] Paul Allen is actually pretty busy with his money. He’s not just living off of interest, from what I can tell. He just didn’t continue to work at Microsoft. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-more-bill-gates-or-paul-allen/458673/8 "2008-08-04T10:02:30Z")
I’ll bet he’s plenty generous to the charities of his choosing, as well. I’d say Paul, because you don’t hear about him as much as Bill. I think I’d prefer that. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-more-bill-gates-or-paul-allen/458673/9 "2008-08-04T10:03:55Z")
It’d be nice to be somewhere in between, but really I’d definitely be a Bill Gates. I’d just like to add I’ve never heard of Paul Allen. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-more-bill-gates-or-paul-allen/458673/10 "2008-08-04T11:28:23Z")
I’d be that dude from Virgin Mobile.