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May24, 1988

Mr. Warren Buffet Chairman Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. 1440 Kiewit Plaza Omaha, NE 68131

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Dear }._fr. Buffet: . y' &-it j/ -I am· writing to ask you to consider being a member of Board of Directors-of Gilead Sciences, an investor in the Company, or both. I am proposing that you devote some of your time, judgement and stature to an enterprise that is decidedly outside your normal business realm, but which I believe would benefit enormously from your attention, and

· which would give you considerable satisfaction in return. .

J440 XI'BWIT

OMARA, NEBRASKA 6813 1

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Michael Riordan , M. D. Gilead Sciences 365 Foster City Boulevard Foster City , California 94404

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Gilead Sciences founder and CEO Michael L. Riordan responds to a hand-written note from Berkshire Hathaway’s Chairman Warren E. Buffet. May, 1988. An initial letter from Dr. Riordan to Mr. Buffett begins: Mr. Warren Buffett Chairman Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. 1440 Kiewit Plaza Omaha, NE 68131 Dear Mr. Buffett: I am writing to ask you to consider being a member of the Board of Directors of Gilead Sciences, an investor in the Company, or both. I am proposing that you devote some of your time, judgment and stature to an enterprise that is decidedly outside your normal business realm, but which I believe would benefit enormously from your attention, and which would give you considerable satisfaction in return. Gilead Sciences was founded in 1987 to develop and manufacture a broad, new class of … … … Mr. Buffett’s hand-written reply:

“Dr. Riordan—Sorry, but I would bring nothing special to this enterprise, except for my

name. WEB” [Warren E. Buffett]

Dr. Riordan’s hand-written response:

“Mr. Buffett—

You are very modest. Your name probably would be a benefit to the Company, but I

had something more substantive in mind.

We are developing a broad, new generation of therapeutics to treat several very deadly

diseases. This is a major event in medicine. And it costs a lot.

Therefore, finance, just like research, production and clinical development, is a critical

ingredient in building our Company. As a board member or an investor who assists in

devising our financing strategy, you would bring something special to a special

enterprise.

We want only the finest talent for our Company. We have the finest biologists and the

finest chemists. We also want the finest business minds.

I hope you will reconsider.

Sincerely,

Michael Riordan”