SEATTLE (AP) — Prior to his death on Monday, billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen invested large sums in technology ventures, research projects and philanthropy, some of it eclectic and highly speculative. What happens to those commitments now?

Outside of bland assurances from his investment company, no one seems quite sure.

Allen died in Seattle from complications of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, according to his company Vulcan Inc. He was 65. He never married and had no children, and details of his estate aren't known.

Forbes recently estimated Allen's net worth at $20.3 billion. He used mu...