[Foundation-l] Omidyar Network Commits $2 Million Grant to Wikimedia Foundation

[Anthony]

On Thu, Aug 27, 2009 at 4:30 PM, Thomas Dalton <thomas.dalton at gmail.com>wrote:

> 2009/8/27 Anthony <wikimail at inbox.org>:
> > I agree that companies often misuse the term "partner" for people who
> aren't
> > actually "partners" (although I can't think of an example, can you?).
>
> Big banks often do it. I remember reading a news article about Goldman
> Sachs announcing its new batch of partners. They were all high ranking
> employees and, as far as know, remained so, just with a new title.


Goldman Sachs was a partnership until 1999, so that's probably why they do
it.  A lot of law firms, even ones which have incorporated, do it for the
same historical reasons.  I don't know how many banks were historically
partnerships, though.

> It is relevant because if Halprin is a partner with Omidyar Network, LLC,
> > and doesn't receive any guaranteed payments, then he isn't being paid by
> > Omidyar Network, LLC to do any particular job.
>
> He isn't sitting on the WMF board on behalf of Omidyar either way, so
> what different does it make?


After rechecking my assumptions, I guess it doesn't make any difference.