Fortune: Gore joins VC fund
Mon Nov 12, 2007 at 09:47:35 AM PDT
Fortune has a big article on how Al Gore has joined Kleiner Perkins Caufield Beyer - one of the most successful venture capital funds - to focus on "make[ing] over the $6 trillion global energy business."
When you read the article, it becomes abundantly clear that Gore loves what he's doing now, and while he once again doesn't rule out a run....he makes it clear he's not planning for it.
Technically, of course, Gore was never "in" the White House. But he's been dealing with continual speculation about whether he still has designs on the place. Is there a chance he'll jump into the race? "It's a luxury to be able to focus on what you are most passionate about all the time," he says. When asked to elaborate he adds, "Casting about for words to describe this with precision is less productive than just saying that what I'm doing feels like the right thing to do." So the answer is probably not, though like any good politician, he's left the door open.
Apparently the plans for Gore to join KPCF have been ongoing for some time:
Gore appears utterly comfortable with this drill, but in fact he's engaging in some on-the-job training. The recovering politician, environmental activist, and Nobel laureate is adding another title to his résumé: venture capitalist. After "a conversation that's gone on for a year and a half," according to Gore, he has decided to join his old pal John Doerr as an active, hands-on partner at Kleiner Perkins, Silicon Valley's preeminent venture firm.
As much as I wanted to see him run for President, and never quite believed those that said he truly loves what he's doing now, this paragraph was the revelation moment for me:
They argue that to halt global warming, nothing less will be required than a makeover of the $6 trillion global energy business. Coal plants, gas stations, the internal-combustion engine, petrochemicals, plastic bags, even bottled water will have to give way to clean, green, sustainable technologies. "What we are going to have to put in place is a combination of the Manhattan Project, the Apollo project, and the Marshall Plan, and scale it globally," Gore continues. "It'd be promising too much to say we can do it on our own, but we intend to do our part."
I now think that Gore truly believes there is something more powerful that president he can be doing right now, and that is leading business - capitalism - into seeing that there is money to be made in solving the twin climate and energy crises.
He's the truest of revolutionaries, and the White House isn't a big enough goal for him anymore...
He's still young. Maybe we'll see a Gore presidency one day - but it will be after he feels like he's helped to change the world's business energy engine.
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