*By Carlo Versano*
Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates and went on to become one of the country's most prolific philanthropists and technologists, died Monday at 65.
His company Vulcan released a [statement](http://www.vulcan.com/News/Articles/2018/Statement-on-Paul-G-Allen) saying the cause was non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which Allen had battled on and off for years.
Allen and Gates famously started Microsoft ($MSFT) in 1975 after dropping out of college and partnering to write computer code for early PCs. The break that would elevate their tiny company ー whose name was a *portmanteau* of "microcomputer software" that Allen came up with ー and make both men fabulously wealthy came when IBM ($IBM) chose it as the software supplier for that company's first personal computer.
Allen left Microsoft in the early 80s but remained on the board until 2000. Current CEO Satya Nadella said in a statement: "As co-founder of Microsoft, in his own quiet and persistent way, he created magical products, experiences and institutions, and in doing so, he changed the world."
As Allen became one of the world's richest people ー Forbes [estimates](https://www.forbes.com/profile/paul-allen/#7bd56f414417) his estate to be worth at least $20 billion ー he became known for his charitable largesse, nowhere more so than in Seattle, where he lived. He also bought sports teams ー he was owner of the NFL's Seahawks and the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers ー turning them into billion-dollar franchises, opened cultural institutions, donated to local STEM non-profits, and re-developed a Seattle neighborhood that is now home to a booming science and tech industry, including the headquarters of Amazon ($AMZN). He was regularly [listed](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferwang/2018/10/15/the-greatest-givers-meet-americas-top-philanthropists/#42fc98bd1af1) among America's most generous givers.
Allen is survived by his sister Jody, who [said](http://www.vulcan.com/News/Articles/2018/Statement-on-Paul-G-Allen): " While most knew Paul Allen as a technologist and philanthropist, for us he was a much loved brother and uncle, and an exceptional friend."
API platform RapidAPI recently became a unicorn with a $1 billion valuation after raising $150 million in a Series D funding round led by Softbank Vision Two Fund. Microsoft's Venture Fund, M12, and Andreessen Horowitz also participated. RapidAPI says it provides the world's largest API hub which enables millions of developers and companies to build software faster. Iddo Gino, founder and CEO of RapidAPI, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Facebook parent Meta officially has changed it’s ticker symbol from ‘FB’ to ‘META’. Paul Meeks, a portfolio manager, Independent Solutions Wealth Management, and a professor of practice in the Baker School of Business at The Citadel, joined Cheddar News to discuss why the tech giant has had to make big changes to its name, its ticker, and its business plans. "When you see what's happening in digital advertising — and there was a slowdown there even before the threat of a recession, which could cause a even more drastic slowdown next year — they had to pivot," he said. Meeks noted he sees Facebook dominating in the metaverse space going forward — whatever that may end up being.
In a recent Bumble survey, more than a third of respondents revealed that they would be willing to date people in other cities. Shan Boodram, a sex and relationships expert for the app, joined Cheddar News to talk about the long-distance dating trend and tips on how to go about taking part. "I think this is the magic of what we experienced over the past couple of years, is that we have already learned the tools necessary to stay connected with people despite not being able to be close to them," she noted. Boodram also pointed to Bumble's travel mode and using video conferencing in order to ease into such relationships.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: CEO of Achieve Life Sciences discusses a new plant-based compound that's being used to fight nicotine addiction; President & CEO OF DiaMedica Therapeutics explains a new ischemic stroke treatment option that expands the window for effective therapy for stroke patients; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'Asteroid Rush.'
