Upon graduating from the Stanford GSB, David and I joined McKinsey’s Silicon Valley office along with 6 of our classmates. Graduating in 1998, going to McKinsey seemed very staid, particularly given we were staying in Palo Alto. In contrast, most of our classmates who stayed in the area were out to change the world through this newfangled thing called the Internet, which promised to change everything from commerce to personal relationships. While that ultimately proved true, expectations got ahead of themselves ultimately leading to the now infamous Internet bubble. At the time though, we had no idea it was a bubble, and yet remained confident that our choice to go to McKinsey was the right one. For those first couple years, our resolve was certainly tested as the Nasdaq seemed to go up 100 points every day. Of the 8 Stanford classmates who joined the Silicon Valley Office, the numbers quickly dwindled to 6, then 4, and 3, and then 2 – David and me. Perhaps as much from laziness than foresight (although in retrospect we will call it foresight!), we both ended up staying at the Firm for years after that with many great experiences that went along with it. Probably some of the most memorable were the stories. The story of David packing his own blood for a trip to Africa because of the tainted blood supplies. The stories of David romancing his fiancee, the beautiful Melissa Black. The stories of the first pregnancy, the twins, the second pregnancy, and then the third pregnancy. David’s never-ending adventures at Tahoe, his flight experiences, or some crazy adventure he had hatched. David was always great to be around, and had a way of lifting up those around him with his energy and his zest for life.