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Raikes Retires To Do Good

I've always liked Microsoft executive Jeff Raikes. Back in the '80s and early '90s, it was nothing to have dinner, lunch or just a simple sit-down with everyone from Gates to Ballmer to Raikes. You get to know a person over a plate or two of Thai food, and Raikes impressed me as being a straight-shooting, overall nice guy, and a man who could make Mensa members feel stupid.

This year, Raikes announced that he's leaving Microsoft. But he ain't going very far: Raikes will be the new CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

This is a perfect move. The Gates Foundation doesn't just write a bunch of checks; it carefully researches how the money could do the most good. It takes a smart man to spend Bill's money, and Raikes is just the guy for the job.

Posted by Doug Barney on May 15, 2008


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