Who knew that Paul Allen and Bill Gates were the spatting John Lennon and Paul McCartney of the tech world?

Allen’s new memoir, “Idea Man,” lays bare some major rifts between the two guys who launched Microsoft, differences that played a role in Allen’s ultimate business breakup with Gates.

The book has not even been published, but it already has redefined what we thought we knew about their relationship and made many Microsoft insiders wonder what motivated Allen to write so harshly about Gates.

Some details seem petty. In an excerpt published in Vanity Fair, Allen writes about his girlfriend being astonished that Gates ate chicken with a spoon.

The WSJ reports that the publication of the book has caused a rift between the former business partners. In an email sent this morning, Allen’s publisher, Portfolio, said he would not be doing interviews before the book is published on April 19.

Gates, in a written statement, told the WSJ, “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.”

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