A "Microsoft millionaire" after working 13 years for the company, Newell founded Valve in 1996 with Mike Harrington, another former Microsoft employee. He and Harrington used their money to fund Valve through the development of Half-Life.Newell is considered to be the public face of the company and a main reason for the success of the Half-Life series, although during production on Half-Life 2, he spent several months focusing on the Steam project. As part of his role in public relations, Newell has become well-known for being responsive and helpful when e-mailed about Valve's projects.