Henry Kravis Quotes
If you have something at risk, you think differently.
Kravis, Henry. Interview. Academy of Achievement, American Academy of Achievement, 22 May 1993.
In this particular case Griffin was referring to manned space flight, but the principle is a general one. Risk can be managed and in many cases minimized, but can never be eliminated completely unless virtually all activity ceases.
He was referring to projects like the ObamaCare website. This was then only the most recent failure of a major IT government project. The IRS has for years been unsuccessful and developing a system for tax filing. And the Defense Department tried to develop a standardized programming language—ADA—that failed miserably despite all the pressure the government put on companies. Microsoft and Google rarely meet their own internal deadlines for development of a major innovative product, and that is typical as there is risk in many parts of a system and further risk as to whether they work together, and then whether they work with heavy use, etc.
Henry R. Kravis is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He is the co-founder of KKR & Co. Inc., a global investment firm with a market cap of approximately $24.7 billion as of November 2019. He has an estimated net worth of $6.4 billion as of February 2020, ranked by Forbes as the 317th richest person in the world.
