Billionaire Image Clash: Bill Gates vs. Paul Allen
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's memoir, Idea Man, is yet to be released (scheduled for April 19th), but it is purported to be a "tell-all" book about the beginnings of Microsoft. Lots of pundits, including BNET blogger Steve Tobak, have commented on what is in the book and what actually happened between him and Bill Gates. Rather than add to that discussion, I am focusing on Gates and Allen's public images and how that affects why people are more likely to believe one, over the other. In this case, I'm betting that Gates will turn out the victor in this affair.
Here's why.
Fame Insulates, Obscurity Makes You Vulnerable
While Paul Allen owns two professional sports teams, a venture capital firm (Vulcan Inc.), and is founder of the Allen Institute for Brain Science, he is hardly a household name. Gates, on the other hand, is a famous philanthropist and one of the world's richest men, and as such, he has a Teflon-coated image. Of course, his outsized success has also caused some groups to envy, resent, or even hate him.
And, it's to be expected that Allen will portray himself as the good guy in his book, but no matter what Allen writes, at least some will suspect he is distorting the record for his own self-interest. The bitterness he expresses in his book and his taking credit for many of Microsoft's early successes, even if the truth, also makes him hard to believe. Given that he is less well-known than Gates, he also is more likely to be perceived as ungrateful, and ungracious.
The Wall Street Journal says:
"Mr. Allen became one of the world's richest people from the success of Microsoft under Mr. Gates's leadership, with the vast majority of his wealth created in the years after he left the company."Taking the High Road Helps Your Image
A shrewd businessman (and poker player), Gates released this statement about the book: "While my recollection of many of these events may differ from Paul's, I value his friendship and the important contributions he made to the world of technology and at Microsoft."
Why Should Anyone Care?
Most people that are still hurting from the worst "recession" since the Great Depression are likely to be amused by the clash of these two billionaires. And so they will buy the book because of the fascination with wealth and the desire to see people that don't have to worry about money having the same relationship issues as the rest of us.
The takeaway for businesses and executives: your credibility is only as good as your image. You can be right or wrong, but your customers and the general public will make their decisions based on the image you project.
If you can develop a Teflon coating by having a good batting average, inevitable attacks will bounce off, and you do not have to worry too much about "tell-all" books written by people that are writing them to sell books or further their own agendas. If they write them, take the high road since that will help your image the most.
Who do you think is easier to believe Paul Allen or Bill Gates?
Related:
- How Steve Jobs Turned the iPad2 "Cover" Into a Hot Item
- When "Spinning" Digs a Deeper PR Hole
- How Steve Jobs Became a Master Brander
Ira Kalb is president of Kalb & Associates, an international consulting and training firm, and professor of marketing at the Marshall School of Business at University of Southern California (USC). Follow him on Twitter.
image courtesy of flickr user, pcsiteuk