Sunday, January 20, 2008

Face value | Google's guru of giving | Economist.com

Snapshot of Google's philanthropy efforts

Each of these initiatives is deliberately high-risk and high-return, says Dr Brilliant. If the pilots go well, Google.org plans to scale up fast; at the moment it is spending much less than Messrs Brin and Page promised. Dr Brilliant thinks that being effective demands a narrow focus: this week's announcement was as much about telling people inside and outside the firm what Google.org will not do as what it will. Among other things, it decided against getting involved in microfinance, which Dr Brilliant thinks is now awash with money, or trying to eradicate a disease (something he found especially hard to let go, given his personal history in the battle against smallpox).

Face value | Google's guru of giving | Economist.com

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