Tech

Paul Allen Trashes Bill Gates Again, Says Early Days Of Microsoft Were Like "Hell"

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Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen gave a rare interview on "60 Minutes" last night to promote his upcoming memoir "Idea Man," and he had a lot of harsh things to say about his cofounder Bill Gates.

Gates was known for browbeating and yelling at employees and execs, and Allen said that at one point working with him was like "being in hell."

But he also says that Gates was fair -- he wanted to arrive at the best decision, and if you convinced him you knew what you were talking about, Gates would eventually back down.

Some of the best parts of the segment were actually borrowed from a "60 Minutes" episode in 1994, and show Gates's aggressive management style behind the scenes -- check it out as he gets upset around 6:40.

The interview also contains footage of Allen's guitar playing and exclusive looks at some of his property, including his collection of vintage war planes.

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Matt was an executive editor at Business Insider who ran the San Francisco bureau and oversaw technology coverage for Business Insider.  Previously, he was an analyst for Directions on Microsoft and blogged about music tech for CBS Interactive. From 1995 to 2000, he was a founding editor at CNET.com.