Barney's Blog

Blog archive

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


Featured

  • Windows 365 Cloud Apps Now Available for Public Preview

    Microsoft announced this week that Windows 365 Cloud Apps are now available for public preview. This aims to allow IT administrators to stream individual Windows applications from the cloud, removing the need to assign Cloud PCs to every user.

  • Report: Security Initiatives Can't Keep Pace with Cloud, AI Boom

    The increasingly fast adoption of hybrid, multicloud, and AI systems is easily outgrowing existing security measures, according to a recent global survey by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and exposure management firm Tenable.

  • World Map Image

    Microsoft Taps Nebius in $17B AI Infrastructure Deal To Alleviate Cloud Strain

    Microsoft has signed a five-year, $17.4 billion agreement with Amsterdam-based Nebius Group to expand its AI computing capabilities through third-party GPU infrastructure.

  • Microsoft Brings Copilot AI Into Viva Engage

    Microsoft 365 Copilot in Viva Engage is now generally available, extending Copilot's AI-powered assistant capabilities deeper into the Viva platform.

Most   Popular