"Carnegie with a Yak": John Wood's Journey from Corporate Executive to Global Educator, a Special Encore Presentation

More than twenty-five years ago, John Wood was a rising Microsoft executive with a demanding job and a packed passport. A trek through Nepal changed everything. After encountering a rural school with empty library shelves, Wood made a promise to a headmaster that would eventually lead him to leave his corporate career behind and found Room to Read — an organization that has since built tens of thousands of libraries and reached over 26 million children across 20 countries.

In this conversation, John shares:

The moment in the Himalayas that sparked his decision to leave Microsoft

How he applied business discipline — benchmarking Room to Read's growth against Starbucks' post-IPO expansion — to scale a nonprofit faster than a Fortune 500 company

Why local ownership and community buy-in (not "helicopter philanthropy") became core to Room to Read's model

The origin of Room to Read's local-language publishing program, which has produced over 1,700 original children's titles

Why he launched a second organization, U-Go, to fund university scholarships for young women in low-income countries

The economics behind U-Go's $800-per-year scholarship model and its "zero leakage" funding structure

His advice for anyone considering a major career or life pivot toward purpose-driven work

Chapters:

00:00 A Pivotal Moment in Nepal 04:35 The Path to Scaling Impact 10:00 Productizing Philanthropy and Engagement 16:00 Local Empowerment and Cultural Solutions 22:00 Sustaining Motivation Through Challenges 26:40 Introducing U-Go: A New Vision  32:00 Creating Long-Term Educational Stability 40:10 Effective Altruism and Fundraising 44:10 Advice and Closing Thoughts