Q: Who was Bill Gates’ co-founder of Microsoft? Why isn’t he listed as a billionaire?
—Frank Burnette, Decatur
A: Paul Allen teamed with Gates to start Microsoft in 1975, originally spelling it "Micro-Soft." Allen and Gates had attended the same high school in Seattle and Allen later dropped out of Washington State to take a job with Honeywell. Gates then dropped out of Harvard to work with Allen.
Allen left Microsoft in the early 1980s after a battle Hodgkin’s disease that was successfully treated. He later started Vulcan Inc., among other organizations. Allen bought the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers in 1988, the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks in 1997 and now also owns the MLS’ Seattle Sounders.
Allen, who still owned about 100 million shares of Microsoft in January 2014, is worth $17.4 billion and is the 51st richest person in the world, according to Forbes. His yacht “Octopus” is 414 feet long and is one of the largest yachts in the world.
Q: Emory signed a 30-year contract with Grady Memorial Hospital on July 1, 1984, to provide senior physicians and staff. That contract expired July 2014. What is the agreement between these two institutions, as well as the role of Morehouse School of Medicine, at Grady?
—Ralph Newcom, Atlanta
A: The Emory and Morehouse schools of medicine signed five-year contracts with Grady in 2013. The deals state that Emory will provide approximately 80 percent of the Grady medical staff and the Morehouse School of Medicine will provide about 20 percent, a Grady Health System spokeswoman told Q&A on the News in an email.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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