The thing we did not see coming was not the virus. We didn't see the total absence of the federal government leadership that we have become accustomed to in every other outbreak, we know what to do.

Larry Brilliant

Lawrence "Larry" Brilliant (born May 5, 1944) is an American epidemiologist, technologist, philanthropist, and author, notable for his 1973 - 1976 work with the World Health Organization, helping to successfully eradicate smallpox. Brilliant, a technology patent holder, has been the CEO of public companies and venture backed start-ups. He was the inaugural Executive Director of Google.org, the charitable arm of Google established in 2005, and the first CEO of Skoll Global Threats Fund, established in 2009 by eBay founder Jeff Skoll to address climate change, pandemics, water security, nuclear proliferation, and conflict in the Middle East. Brilliant currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Ending Pandemics, and is also on the boards of the Skoll Foundation, Salesforce.org, The Seva Foundation, and Dharma Platform.

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