Microsoft co-founder’s estate sprawling

help determine the future of local museums and arts festivals, brain science and artificial intelligence research institutes, sports teams and an enormous real estate portfolio. Allen’s philanthropic commitments also present a potentially transformative infusion of funding to the eventual recipients. The Internal Revenue Service, too, will be poring over it all.

While Allen’s wishes can be interpreted from his statements and actions — pledging in 2010 to give away the majority of his wealth, for example — how they will be executed has not yet been made public. Indeed, they may never be, given the privacy protections in estate law.

There is familial continuity built into the structure of Allen’s empire. Many of his post-Microsoft endeavors were carried out in close collaboration with or led by his sister, Jody Allen. He was not married and had no children.

She co-founded and was until 2014 the CEO of Vulcan Inc., the holding and investment company at the center of the Allen empire. She is listed on dozens of active business registrations associated with Allen and Vulcan endeavors, heads the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and was the driving force behind creation of MoPOP, where she is president of the board.

Bill Hilf, the technology executive tapped to lead Vulcan in 2016, sought to reassure the many stakeholders in the Allen empire in a statement released shortly after his death Monday.

“Paul thoughtfully addressed how the many institutions he founded and supported would continue after he was no longer able to lead them,” Hilf said, adding that it was too soon to deal with specifics. “We will continue to work on furthering Paul’s mission and the projects he entrusted to us. There are no changes imminent for Vulcan, the teams, the research institutes or museums.”