The D. E. Shaw group is a global investment and technology development firm with more than 1,300 employees; approximately $35 billion in aggregate investment capital as of November 1, 2007; and offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. Since its organization in 1988, the firm has earned an international reputation for financial innovation, technological leadership, and an extraordinarily distinguished staff. The firm has a significant presence in many of the world’s capitalmarkets, investing in a wide range of companies and financial instruments within both the major industrialized nations and a number of emerging markets. Its activities range from the deployment of investment strategies ba_sed on either mathematical models or human expertise to the acquisition of existing companies and the financing or development of new ones.