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Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen: Steve Jobs is "monomaniacal"

by Mel Martin Apr 25th 2011 at 4:00PM

I doubt Steve Jobs will regard being called monomaniacal as an insult. My dictionary defines the word as 'An inordinate or obsessive zeal or interest in a single thing or subject." That sounds pretty much like the Apple co-founder and CEO.

The comments from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen came in an interview with The Sunday Times, where he also praised Apple's almost unbelievable turnaround since Jobs returned to the company in 1997. The full article is behind a paywall, but the Guardian quotes it here.

There's a lot more of interest in Allen's recently-published autobiography, Idea Man. One passage from the book that will make Apple fans take notice is this one quoting Bill Gates in the mid-nineties:

"[The competition] can be taken. But the only way we're going to take them is to study them, know what they know, do what they do, watch them, watch them, watch them. Look for every angle, stay on their shoulders, clone them, take every one of their good ideas and make it one of our good ideas."



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I doubt Steve Jobs will regard being called monomaniacal as an insult. My dictionary defines the word as 'An inordinate or obsessive zeal...
 

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TomballTX

Jobs monomaniacal? Old, very old news.

April 26 2011 at 9:33 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Slyrobber

What a joke!!! the "idea man" at micro$haft reminiscing about governement DOJ sanctioned idea plundering of others real ideas in exchange for back orifices in all their products so big brother can snoop on the population at will. Microsoft the Steves and the Billy goat!! The great techno-sycophants of the 20th century.

April 26 2011 at 3:43 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Peter Payne

Interesting aside: "mono" means "thing" in Japanese. So you could say it's an obsession with objects, too. And for the record, Steve Jobs > Paul Allen.

Okay, go back to what you were doing.

April 25 2011 at 9:51 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
MacTech

Jobs may not have a nice personality, but he does give the world some great products. Paul Allen has a collection of vintage and historic aircraft and only allows tiny low rez pictures of them to be released. Stingy ba$tard.

April 25 2011 at 9:22 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Buzz

To anybody with eclectic interests, a person who is focused on one thing will be termed, "monomaniacal."

People who focus on one thing think that people with eclectic interests are "scatterbrained."

Both are dicks.

April 25 2011 at 9:16 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Allan

Pot, meet kettle.

April 25 2011 at 8:08 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
SSteve

Did he also point out that Steve Ballmer is monomaniacal about everything at MS being called Windows?

April 25 2011 at 5:45 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
GLacy

"[COPY] every one of their good ideas and make it one of our good ideas."

Mr. Allen you have NO ideas - nothing. You are NOT and idea man if copying an idea is your measure of creating an idea. You are simply a thief with a paint bucket.

April 25 2011 at 5:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
3 replies to GLacy's comment
Ron

"take every one of their good ideas and make it one of our good ideas" This has been their strategy from day one.

April 25 2011 at 4:55 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
glad

I get a little sick to death of the spelling and grammar trolls that frequent this blog they think they are being clever but they are simply AH.

April 25 2011 at 4:31 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to glad's comment
Ron

Agreed

April 25 2011 at 4:57 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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