SEATTLE — Microsoft co-founder and billionaire investor Paul Allen has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is undergoing chemotherapy.
In a memo sent to employees, Jody Allen, Paul Allen’s sister and chief executive of his investment firm, Vulcan Inc., said the 56-year-old received the diagnosis early this month. According to the memo, Paul Allen has diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a relatively common form of lymphoma.
Allen battled another form of immune-system cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, more than 20 years ago and survived. The CEO wrote that Allen “is optimistic he can beat this, too.”
Allen founded Microsoft with Bill Gates, a high school friend and fellow computer enthusiast, in 1975. Allen was Microsoft’s executive vice president of research and new-product development until 1983, when he left to focus on his health. He remained a major shareholder and member of the board and went on to invest broadly in technology, real estate, sports and the arts.
At last count, Allen’s net worth totaled about $11.5 billion, making him the 17th-richest person in the world, according to Forbes’ September tally. The Associated Press
