In his 2011 memoir 'Idea Man' (excerpted in Vanity Fair), Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen wrote that in December 1982 — while he was being treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma — he overheard Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer discussing how to dilute his ownership stake by issuing themselves and others stock options. Allen confronted them, the plan was dropped, and he soon stepped back from day-to-day work at Microsoft, though he kept his shares and became a billionaire. Allen wrote that Gates and Ballmer later apologized, and portrayed Gates as relentlessly competitive and sometimes harsh. Gates responded that his recollection of some events differed but praised Allen's contributions; the book complicated the public image of Microsoft's founding friendship.