Steven Pinker’s Tribute to the ‘Low-Key Extravagance’ of Microsoft’s Paul Allen

Paul Allen’s nerdiness was deceptive. The Microsoft co-founder, who died at 65 on Oct. 15, could seem shy in person, but beneath the reticence he was voracious—for ideas, people, beauty, insight and opportunities to enhance the lives of others. Though he wore it lightly, his was a truly expansive intellect.

Not long after we met, Paul rented a cruise ship and invited the diverse people he’d worked with in his many walks of life on a junket to Alaska.