1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: Hi, everyone, it's Sophia. Welcome back to Work in Progress. Today. 2 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:19,520 Speaker 1: I'm speaking with entrepreneur, author, philanthropist, and nonprofit leader Andrew Yang. 3 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 1: Andrew first came to prominence in many people's minds during 4 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:26,239 Speaker 1: the presidential election, where he ran for president on a 5 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 1: platform of universal basic income. His innovative ideas have inspired 6 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:32,519 Speaker 1: people all over the country and the world, and we 7 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:36,160 Speaker 1: are now seeing UBI programs launching all across the nation. 8 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:38,560 Speaker 1: Born and raised in New York, Andrew has been a 9 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:42,239 Speaker 1: champion for education and progress his entire life. In two 10 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:45,560 Speaker 1: thousand nine, he started Venture for America, which has worked 11 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:48,680 Speaker 1: to empower thousands of young entrepreneurs across the country. He 12 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:52,919 Speaker 1: was named Presidential Ambassador of Entrepreneurship by the Obama administration 13 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: and a champion of change. In the last year, Andrew 14 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 1: founded Humanity Forward, a nonprofit organization which has provided over 15 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,280 Speaker 1: a million dollars in basic income grants to New Yorkers 16 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: struggling due to the COVID nineteen pandemic, and now he's 17 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:10,039 Speaker 1: trying to continue that work by running for Mayor of 18 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:13,040 Speaker 1: New York in the election. Andrew and I have also 19 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:16,080 Speaker 1: had the pleasure of working together on some great activist causes. 20 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: Over the years, we helped to create an organization with 21 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 1: a bunch of other incredible activists called Defeat by Tweet 22 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:26,119 Speaker 1: to use Donald Trump's cruelty on social media against him 23 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: to raise political capital and funds for local organizations that 24 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: were run by incredible black activists across America. And during 25 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,399 Speaker 1: into the Senate runoffs, we worked together on a program 26 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: called Win Both Seats to ensure that John ass Off 27 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 1: and Raphael Warnock got elected in Georgia and that we 28 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 1: could take back the Senate and get this American Rescue 29 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: Plan going. Very exciting stuff. It's been so much fun 30 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 1: to work with Andrew behind the scenes, to witness his 31 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 1: advocacy on the national stage, and on today's episode, it 32 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:01,280 Speaker 1: was such a pleasure to talk to him about everything 33 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:05,040 Speaker 1: from personal to professional to political. We discussed what it's 34 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:08,799 Speaker 1: like having immigrant parents, his experience growing up in New 35 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 1: York in a Taiwanese family, what he loves most about 36 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: New York City, how he balances his life as a 37 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 1: father and as a political candidate, and what he's learned 38 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 1: working in nonprofits, both advocating for people and for better 39 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: education policy. I'm incredibly inspired by Andrew. He's dynamic, engaging 40 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 1: and so very busy. I feel very grateful that he 41 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:33,520 Speaker 1: made some time to talk with me and to be 42 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 1: here with us. Enjoy Hi. I know, it's so good 43 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:58,520 Speaker 1: to see you. It's funny, you know, we were we 44 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 1: were on all those like text threads and doing all 45 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: the things for the election, and then the Georgia runoff 46 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:08,360 Speaker 1: and the greatest freaking thing I've been a part of 47 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:12,519 Speaker 1: in I don't know, like a few months when both 48 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:14,959 Speaker 1: seats was truly the best first of all our text 49 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 1: chain went off in the best way every day and 50 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:24,359 Speaker 1: just to kind of get that final energetic push over 51 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:27,359 Speaker 1: the line to take the Senate back, to actually have progress, 52 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 1: to see COVID relief and vaccinations happening, and to know 53 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 1: that we helped. It feels crazy, right, It feels so good. 54 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: Every time I think about those races, I still feel 55 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: a sense of joy and pride because you and I 56 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: together raised about three million dollars for the Atlanta Center races, 57 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: and John ass Off one by about one percent four 58 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: thousand votes or so out of four and a half 59 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:59,520 Speaker 1: million votes cast. So can we say that we helped 60 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 1: like hundred because you know, like a few million dollars, 61 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 1: and you know, in our case, um weeks on the 62 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: ground knocking on doors, maybe hundreds of volunteers, and we're 63 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: seeing very clearly the impact of those victories. Because you 64 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:18,840 Speaker 1: get the American Rescue Plan across the finish line with 65 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:21,520 Speaker 1: zero Republican votes. You know, you need to have Kabba 66 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:24,000 Speaker 1: to come in and be the tiebreaker. It's one point 67 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 1: nine trillion dollars. Everyone gets four checks. We may cut 68 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: child poverty in half. And it's genuinely Sophia in part 69 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:36,720 Speaker 1: because people like you Uh stepped up to help win 70 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: those Georgia races. So the fact that we saw clearly 71 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:42,400 Speaker 1: how important those races were and played a role makes 72 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 1: me really proud. Yeah, and it really it reminds me. 73 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: I don't know if you feel this, but there are 74 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:50,320 Speaker 1: definitely days where I look at everything going on in 75 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:52,240 Speaker 1: the world and they think I'm just one person, what 76 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:55,080 Speaker 1: can I do? And then I remember when each of 77 00:04:55,160 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: us as individuals teams up together and really wishes for 78 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:04,560 Speaker 1: a more just tomorrow, there's potential, and it's it's that 79 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 1: kind of potential, you know, in this present moment, obviously 80 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: coming out of the last election year, moving forward into 81 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,480 Speaker 1: all the exciting things you're currently doing, including running for 82 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 1: mayor of New York City. I want to get into 83 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:18,640 Speaker 1: all of that, but before we do, I actually want 84 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:21,640 Speaker 1: to go even further back than the start of I 85 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:26,680 Speaker 1: want to go to like childhood Andrew. So many people know, 86 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:30,479 Speaker 1: so many people know my guests as they are today, 87 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 1: but I'm always curious about how you became this way. 88 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:35,839 Speaker 1: I know that you grew up in New York, just 89 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 1: outside of Albany. You actually grew up in Schenectady, and 90 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:40,920 Speaker 1: I grew up with a bunch of New York and 91 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:43,200 Speaker 1: New Jersey family. So Schennectedy has always been one of 92 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 1: my favorite words to say since I was a little kid. Uh, Schenectady. 93 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:52,160 Speaker 1: I just as a kid when I got it, I 94 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 1: felt so cool. I imagine it was less cool for 95 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:57,800 Speaker 1: you since you grew up there and it felt more obvious. 96 00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:01,599 Speaker 1: But talk to us about growing up in that part 97 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 1: of New York. What was your world like when you 98 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:11,320 Speaker 1: were you know, eight, nine, ten years old? Oh, thanks, Sophia. 99 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:14,600 Speaker 1: I Uh, I was born in Schenectady, but I did 100 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 1: move closer to New York City when I was four 101 00:06:17,279 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 1: years old or so, though I do remember um, yeah, 102 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 1: and then I spent a couple of summers upstate too, 103 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:25,360 Speaker 1: So like I I often say I grew U up 104 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:27,600 Speaker 1: state just kind of, you know, as like a bit 105 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:30,680 Speaker 1: of an oversimplification, But I do remember the house in 106 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:35,360 Speaker 1: Schenectady and our yellow Chevy. And my father was a 107 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:40,159 Speaker 1: physicist for GE. He and my mom met as graduate students. 108 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:44,320 Speaker 1: They immigrated here from Taiwan. And so my brother and 109 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:46,320 Speaker 1: I first, I'm so glad I had an older brother. 110 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 1: So glad. You look so relieved when you say that. 111 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 1: Why what what did an older brother mean to you? Well, 112 00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:56,560 Speaker 1: because we we were the first generation born in this country, 113 00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:58,480 Speaker 1: and so I always at least had my brother to 114 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:01,160 Speaker 1: explain stuff to me. Um. And then when we were 115 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:03,719 Speaker 1: in school, we were two of the only Asian kids 116 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:07,159 Speaker 1: in our school, and for better or for worse, my 117 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 1: teachers called me by my brother's name all the time 118 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:13,800 Speaker 1: because he had shown up before me. And uh, you know, 119 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:15,800 Speaker 1: so he was two years older than me, and so 120 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:17,400 Speaker 1: then by the time I got there, they just like 121 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:19,280 Speaker 1: called me by his name, which probably is not a 122 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:22,480 Speaker 1: great thing, um, But I used to say, it's like, well, 123 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 1: at least he was good in school, so so but 124 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: I remember growing up just feeling very nerdy and awkward 125 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:34,000 Speaker 1: and out of place, very introverted. I'd also skipped kindergarten, 126 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 1: so I was smaller and scrawnier than my classmates essentially 127 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:42,200 Speaker 1: all the time, um, and felt very self conscious about that. Uh. 128 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:47,200 Speaker 1: So I escaped a lot by reading science fiction books 129 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 1: and playing dungeons and dragons with my brother and kind 130 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,440 Speaker 1: of having this imaginary world at home. It's one reason 131 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:58,040 Speaker 1: why I feel very saddened for kids today with social media, 132 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:02,600 Speaker 1: because I feel like for them they never actually feel alone, 133 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:06,600 Speaker 1: like they go home and like their classmates are still 134 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,240 Speaker 1: with them. Um. In my case, you know, I I 135 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:13,800 Speaker 1: definitely felt a degree of a need to enter my 136 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:17,440 Speaker 1: own little world that I frankly oh my brother a 137 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:20,520 Speaker 1: lot of because he was a bit older and would 138 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:24,960 Speaker 1: introduce me to various books and games. I sound very 139 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:29,600 Speaker 1: nerdy because I was. I like it. Like, I grew 140 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 1: up an only child, so I read a lot. It 141 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 1: was kind of the thing I got to do in 142 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:40,640 Speaker 1: my house. And also my parents really encouraged that kind 143 00:08:40,679 --> 00:08:42,920 Speaker 1: of exploration for me. You know, they always had a 144 00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:46,240 Speaker 1: book to hand me. Was it the same in your house? 145 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:48,360 Speaker 1: I mean, your dad being a physicist, I imagine there 146 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:51,920 Speaker 1: was a lot of intellectual prowess under one roof. So 147 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 1: was was reading really encouraged for you? What? What did 148 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:57,959 Speaker 1: your parents kind of push you and your brother towards? Well, 149 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:01,440 Speaker 1: my parents, because they were in a grants, didn't really 150 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:04,000 Speaker 1: understand what my brother and I were doing at any 151 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:08,160 Speaker 1: moment in time, and didn't No, I really did it, 152 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:12,640 Speaker 1: so we we would find our own pursuits. Certainly, Like 153 00:09:12,679 --> 00:09:15,680 Speaker 1: the message from my parents was dwell in school, But 154 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:20,480 Speaker 1: my parents were very busy and they worked until dinner time. 155 00:09:20,679 --> 00:09:24,240 Speaker 1: And so for the first number of years of school, 156 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:27,360 Speaker 1: my brother and I went to us sitter, which I'm 157 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 1: super grateful for, um Mrs Ingram. And I'm super grateful because, frankly, 158 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 1: like to the extent that I, you know, like I 159 00:09:35,559 --> 00:09:38,600 Speaker 1: learned how to play sports or poker, or watch movies 160 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:40,600 Speaker 1: or like any of that stuff, it was because I 161 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:46,840 Speaker 1: went to the Ingrams. Like we'd go there and you know, 162 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:49,400 Speaker 1: there was a neighborhood with a bunch of kids, and 163 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 1: we would play sports and fight. Honestly, like we had 164 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:57,679 Speaker 1: games that were essentially just fights. Um. But I'm super 165 00:09:57,679 --> 00:10:00,200 Speaker 1: grateful because this stuff, you know, it made me feel 166 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:05,480 Speaker 1: like I understood this country better, frankly, because my parents 167 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:08,680 Speaker 1: were very clueless. I'm gonna say something that's probably gonna 168 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:10,719 Speaker 1: people are gonna judge my parents, and I feel bad 169 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:13,440 Speaker 1: about that. But whatever, I went into school one day 170 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:15,319 Speaker 1: and I was like maybe fourth or fifth grade or 171 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:18,440 Speaker 1: something like that, and I revealed that I went to 172 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:22,559 Speaker 1: sleep in the clothes that I wore all day pretty 173 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:25,960 Speaker 1: much every night. That like, my parents never really got 174 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:30,640 Speaker 1: the concept of pajamas, so so I was just like 175 00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:32,400 Speaker 1: whatever I was wearing, I'd just light out and that 176 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:34,120 Speaker 1: that was that that I would, you know, change for 177 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:36,320 Speaker 1: the next day. But but then when when my teacher 178 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:39,640 Speaker 1: found this out, they were like appalled. I don't understand 179 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:42,079 Speaker 1: being appalled at that. Honestly, all I'm thinking is, you're 180 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:45,600 Speaker 1: telling this story, is so your parents were decades ahead 181 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:47,760 Speaker 1: of the rest of us in this pandemic because no 182 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 1: one has changed their clothes since like March. Yeah, they 183 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:54,760 Speaker 1: might have just been ahead of the curve simplification, But 184 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:58,360 Speaker 1: all jokes aside. I am curious what was your parents 185 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:03,680 Speaker 1: immigration story, because I don't know if it feels kind 186 00:11:03,679 --> 00:11:06,120 Speaker 1: of like legend to you since it's a generation away, 187 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:08,960 Speaker 1: But certainly for me and my family. You know, my 188 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:12,840 Speaker 1: grandmother and great grandparents coming on a boat from Italy, 189 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:16,880 Speaker 1: you know, through Ellis Island has this sort of lore. 190 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:20,760 Speaker 1: And then my dad actually, so for I guess on 191 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:23,719 Speaker 1: my dad's side of things, I'm first generation because he 192 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:28,440 Speaker 1: came to America in the sixties and he eventually became 193 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:30,320 Speaker 1: a Green card holder. But my dad didn't become a 194 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:36,800 Speaker 1: citizen until I was twelve. So I helped Sophia and 195 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:39,160 Speaker 1: the whole thing. I helped my dad's study for his 196 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:42,000 Speaker 1: citizenship tays. I made flash cards, remember when we were kids, 197 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:43,800 Speaker 1: and you had like the little plastic box that all 198 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:47,720 Speaker 1: your flash cards. So I had a little file section 199 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:51,480 Speaker 1: of you know, civics to help my dad study for 200 00:11:51,559 --> 00:11:55,160 Speaker 1: his tests. So I have such a nostalgia about this 201 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:57,600 Speaker 1: sort of idea of coming here for the American dream. 202 00:11:57,679 --> 00:12:00,360 Speaker 1: Where on the spectrum does that fall in your family? Yeah, 203 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:03,560 Speaker 1: I mean I figured this all out much later, and 204 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:05,920 Speaker 1: I was kind of clueless about it for most of 205 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:09,079 Speaker 1: my childhood. But my parents both came over from Taiwan. 206 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:12,160 Speaker 1: Their circumstances were a bit different. My father grew up 207 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:15,120 Speaker 1: on a peanut farm with no floor in southern Taiwan, 208 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:16,920 Speaker 1: which I saw for the first time when I was 209 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:21,520 Speaker 1: a teenager, and I was like, holy cow, Dad, Like, 210 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:23,960 Speaker 1: I don't know how you you managed to get from 211 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:27,720 Speaker 1: here to there. Um. So my my father tested into 212 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:31,960 Speaker 1: National Taiwan University from the farm and I asked him once, 213 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:33,640 Speaker 1: it's like, hey, why do you study physics? He was like, 214 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:36,600 Speaker 1: so I could go to the States. And so at 215 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:40,800 Speaker 1: that time, the United States would accept students from Taiwan 216 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:43,839 Speaker 1: who were studying various sciences, honestly, So my my father 217 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:47,080 Speaker 1: got his degree in physics in Taiwan and then came 218 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:49,439 Speaker 1: to the States and got his PhD in physics at 219 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:53,439 Speaker 1: UC Berkeley, where he met my mom. And my mom 220 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:55,800 Speaker 1: at the time was an undergraduate at Berkeley and then 221 00:12:55,840 --> 00:12:57,880 Speaker 1: she went to get her masters at Berkeley. But it 222 00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:00,000 Speaker 1: was a little different from my mom because my mom 223 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:01,880 Speaker 1: didn't grow up on a farm. My mom was the 224 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:05,880 Speaker 1: daughter of a professor and heard her father was actually 225 00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:08,959 Speaker 1: a visiting professor at Berkeley when she was a student there. 226 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:12,640 Speaker 1: So between my parents, my mom is definitely the classy 227 00:13:12,679 --> 00:13:15,480 Speaker 1: one and my dad is sort of the roughneck one. 228 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:19,840 Speaker 1: And they talked all about how my dad kind of 229 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:24,560 Speaker 1: misled her during their courtship about how he was going 230 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:26,960 Speaker 1: to you know, never let her watch this Is again 231 00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:30,160 Speaker 1: and like all this other stuff that after um they 232 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:32,440 Speaker 1: tied the knot. Then you know, like some of that 233 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:35,600 Speaker 1: stuff didn't come to pass, but they they got together 234 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:39,680 Speaker 1: at Berkeley as students. My brother was born in San Francisco, 235 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:43,520 Speaker 1: and then when they moved to Schenectady, I was born. 236 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:48,840 Speaker 1: So there are pictures of them as newlywed's in California, 237 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:52,360 Speaker 1: and it's I think the some of the first memories 238 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:56,599 Speaker 1: I have of them were as you know, like relatively 239 00:13:56,640 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 1: young parents still in upstate New York. That's so sweet. 240 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:04,559 Speaker 1: So in addition to the D and D that maybe 241 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 1: they didn't understand what else was kind of keeping your 242 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:11,400 Speaker 1: focus as a kid, you know, books and games. Yeah, 243 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:13,600 Speaker 1: my parents drill was like get into a good college 244 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:17,880 Speaker 1: and so as Asian parents like that took the form 245 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:20,520 Speaker 1: of piano lessons. So I started playing piano when I 246 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:23,920 Speaker 1: was five, and they had us go to Chinese school 247 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:27,840 Speaker 1: on Saturdays, and I was really bad at Chinese. So 248 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:30,480 Speaker 1: I would get left back regularly at this Chinese school, 249 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:35,040 Speaker 1: which is fine, whatever any better now or you just 250 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:38,200 Speaker 1: never kind of still not very good. Um. And and 251 00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:41,560 Speaker 1: so my about with the piano. There was a point 252 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:44,720 Speaker 1: when I was pretty good at piano. My high point 253 00:14:44,840 --> 00:14:48,560 Speaker 1: was I performed in like a youth concert at Carnegie Hall. Um. 254 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:52,320 Speaker 1: I did make a tape for college, so you know, 255 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:55,000 Speaker 1: like there was like me playing the Black Mountain of 256 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:58,120 Speaker 1: Prelude in G minor or something like that. Uh. And 257 00:14:58,200 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 1: the other thing is my parents were like, you need 258 00:14:59,920 --> 00:15:01,760 Speaker 1: to sport to get to college, so they sent me 259 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:03,920 Speaker 1: to tennis camp so I can make the high school 260 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:08,200 Speaker 1: tennis team. So but it was very utilitarian, honestly. It 261 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:13,400 Speaker 1: was like, well, like time to make you seem well rounded. Honestly, 262 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:16,800 Speaker 1: at this point, I'm so envious. I started taking tennis 263 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:18,560 Speaker 1: lessons about a year and a half ago. I played 264 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:21,240 Speaker 1: for one year when I was nine, So you can 265 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:24,560 Speaker 1: imagine that as a grown adult human woman, I am 266 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:27,520 Speaker 1: not good. You remind me a bit of my wife Evelyn, 267 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:30,920 Speaker 1: because she also tried to pick up tennis fairly recently. 268 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:34,040 Speaker 1: And I know, like you should stick with it, like 269 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:36,440 Speaker 1: tennis is like a great sport for us all as 270 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:39,120 Speaker 1: we get a little bit older and more rickety. I'm 271 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:40,920 Speaker 1: going to stick with it, honestly, and I think the 272 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:45,880 Speaker 1: reason that I I'm very comfortable being self deprecating, which 273 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 1: you have to be as an actor, because what nobody 274 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:50,440 Speaker 1: knows is that even if you're quote unquote successful as 275 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:53,200 Speaker 1: an actor, you go on thousands of auditions for jobs 276 00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: you never get. So I'm very used to being like, 277 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:57,440 Speaker 1: well that didn't work out, which kind of the way 278 00:15:57,480 --> 00:15:59,800 Speaker 1: I feel every time I try to serve and it 279 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:02,960 Speaker 1: was in the wrong direction. Um. You know that's true 280 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:05,800 Speaker 1: for entrepreneurship too, And it's one reason why I'm passionate 281 00:16:05,840 --> 00:16:08,440 Speaker 1: about our schools trying to prepare our kids somewhat differently, 282 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:13,440 Speaker 1: because if you're trying to get something done, like in 283 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:15,840 Speaker 1: a sales or entrepreneurial context, if you you have a 284 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:22,600 Speaker 1: success rate of you're doing great. So you have this 285 00:16:22,680 --> 00:16:26,080 Speaker 1: sort of well rounded Uh. You know, Andrew on paper 286 00:16:26,080 --> 00:16:28,400 Speaker 1: getting ready for college apps. I know that you went 287 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:31,080 Speaker 1: to Brown and then you went to Columbia Law School. 288 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:34,280 Speaker 1: What was that like kind of getting into high school? 289 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 1: What else came into your life? What else was influencing 290 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:39,440 Speaker 1: you that led you on that path to car I 291 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:41,800 Speaker 1: made a very very strange decision when I was fifteen 292 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:44,320 Speaker 1: years old, um, which is I went to a boarding 293 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:48,200 Speaker 1: school in New Hampshire, Uh, called Phillips Exeter. You decided 294 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:50,840 Speaker 1: to go to a boarding school? I genuinely did I know, 295 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:53,720 Speaker 1: even though boarding school is eighties code for your parents 296 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:57,360 Speaker 1: hate you and our shutting. But but in my case, 297 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:02,080 Speaker 1: I went to summer program and some of the folks 298 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:04,200 Speaker 1: there went to a school called Exeter and said, oh, 299 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:06,479 Speaker 1: we like it. And then I went to my parents 300 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:08,239 Speaker 1: It was like, can I go to Exeter? And my 301 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:10,840 Speaker 1: mom just about jumped for joy. It was crazy. She 302 00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:13,359 Speaker 1: had like the application in her hand like a day later, 303 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:16,480 Speaker 1: being like, you're doing this? Uh. And my motivation was 304 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:19,760 Speaker 1: partially because my brother was leaving for college at Berkeley actually, 305 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:23,280 Speaker 1: and so the prospect of being left alone with my 306 00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:26,359 Speaker 1: parents did not excite me. And I would have been 307 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:29,560 Speaker 1: fifteen and unable to drive, which also seemed really pathetic. 308 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:33,560 Speaker 1: So so that those are some of the things that 309 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:35,520 Speaker 1: made me think, hey, let me go to this place 310 00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:37,560 Speaker 1: called Exeter. So I went to boarding school in New 311 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:39,560 Speaker 1: Hampshire for the last two years, which was a very 312 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:42,439 Speaker 1: very big adjustment, and I wasn't happy there for the 313 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:45,199 Speaker 1: first year, but it was my decision to go. So 314 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:47,320 Speaker 1: if you decided to do something and it's not working out, 315 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:49,840 Speaker 1: then you kind of have no one to blame but yourself. 316 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:52,439 Speaker 1: So so you look at yourself and be like, all right, 317 00:17:52,480 --> 00:17:55,359 Speaker 1: I gotta make this work. I got improved, um, and 318 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:59,520 Speaker 1: be happier with it. What led to that unhappiness in 319 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:01,960 Speaker 1: your first year there? And then what changed in the second? 320 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:07,159 Speaker 1: I felt very out of place at Exeter, And if 321 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:10,440 Speaker 1: there are pictures, I think I was objectively out of place, 322 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:13,520 Speaker 1: Like I think there are some photos of you really 323 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:16,440 Speaker 1: can find them, um. And so it was interesting because like, 324 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:18,560 Speaker 1: I felt out of place in my public school, even 325 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:20,879 Speaker 1: though you know, like I found my plate, my niche. 326 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:23,879 Speaker 1: But it was a real struggle. And I'd grown up 327 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:26,719 Speaker 1: with these people and had become friends with, you know, 328 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:29,840 Speaker 1: some some of my childhood friends that I'm still in 329 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:31,920 Speaker 1: touch with it to this day. But I still felt 330 00:18:31,960 --> 00:18:34,280 Speaker 1: like my public school was not really pushing or challenging 331 00:18:34,359 --> 00:18:36,879 Speaker 1: me in a particular way. So I decided to go 332 00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:40,280 Speaker 1: to Exeter, which was a very academically rigorous environment. But 333 00:18:40,359 --> 00:18:45,680 Speaker 1: these kids were from totally different backgrounds than anyone I 334 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:48,960 Speaker 1: had been around. A lot of them were from New 335 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:50,600 Speaker 1: York City, a lot of them were from all over 336 00:18:50,640 --> 00:18:52,919 Speaker 1: the country like San Francisco. I mean, EXTRA takes from 337 00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:56,200 Speaker 1: all over and it was a very high pressure environment. 338 00:18:56,600 --> 00:19:01,320 Speaker 1: You don't see your families, so it did have kind 339 00:19:01,359 --> 00:19:05,359 Speaker 1: of Lord of the Flies vibe a little bit like 340 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:08,760 Speaker 1: you're in a dorm and their curfews, and it was 341 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:12,080 Speaker 1: just a bit of an adjustment for me. And there 342 00:19:12,119 --> 00:19:15,960 Speaker 1: was also a sense that your status was measured in 343 00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:19,159 Speaker 1: part by what college you were going to get into, 344 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:22,560 Speaker 1: and so there's just a lot of pressure. You know. 345 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:24,600 Speaker 1: When I actually went back and spoke at EXTRA when 346 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:26,879 Speaker 1: I was running for president and I shared some of 347 00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:29,800 Speaker 1: these stories with them, just asking it's like, hey, if 348 00:19:29,840 --> 00:19:32,719 Speaker 1: things changed, and uh, you know, like like EXTRA has 349 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:37,080 Speaker 1: gone through a real evolution in some respects because um, 350 00:19:37,119 --> 00:19:40,080 Speaker 1: they've had some kids who've been really unhappy and so 351 00:19:40,119 --> 00:19:55,280 Speaker 1: they're trying to evolve in different ways. Did that feeling 352 00:19:55,680 --> 00:20:00,359 Speaker 1: come from that intense pressure, which to me sort of 353 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:04,439 Speaker 1: feels like this blanket pressure of success in capitalism that 354 00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:07,640 Speaker 1: gets thrust onto young kids when they're applying to college. 355 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:12,600 Speaker 1: Was it sort of that be successful, prove yourself rat 356 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:15,199 Speaker 1: race kind of mentality or or do you think that 357 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:19,000 Speaker 1: some of what made you feel a little out of 358 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:22,439 Speaker 1: place was a further continuation of what you said you 359 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:25,880 Speaker 1: experienced elementary school, which was that it wasn't very diverse. 360 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:28,240 Speaker 1: You know, you and your brother were kind of two 361 00:20:28,280 --> 00:20:32,280 Speaker 1: of two. Did you experience a class that was made 362 00:20:32,359 --> 00:20:34,800 Speaker 1: up of more diverse and different people when you went 363 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:36,480 Speaker 1: to boarding school or was it more of the same. 364 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:40,159 Speaker 1: Exeter and for this matter, Brown in Colombia were all 365 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:44,080 Speaker 1: statistically much more diverse in terms of how many Asian 366 00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:46,920 Speaker 1: Americans were there. Frankly, my experience went from being one 367 00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:50,679 Speaker 1: of one or so at my public school too. I 368 00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:54,160 Speaker 1: think that extra was maybe fourteen or fifteen percent Asian American. Um, 369 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:57,560 Speaker 1: it's pretty high. So it was probably more along the 370 00:20:57,600 --> 00:21:00,800 Speaker 1: lines of what you were just describing as the meritocratic 371 00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:03,359 Speaker 1: culture and this kind of rat race that got started 372 00:21:03,400 --> 00:21:07,400 Speaker 1: young at Exeter. And I do think that our meritocracy 373 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:10,639 Speaker 1: in these selective schools ends up shaping people in a 374 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:15,840 Speaker 1: particular way that makes it very difficult for folks to 375 00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:18,760 Speaker 1: go back and either inspect or amend to the system 376 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:22,800 Speaker 1: that produced us. And one of the things I just 377 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:26,440 Speaker 1: randomly tweeted a while ago but ended up being very 378 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:30,600 Speaker 1: well received was it's hard to tell how funked up 379 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:34,119 Speaker 1: a system is if you've succeeded in that system, uh 380 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:38,439 Speaker 1: And I do feel that way about a lot of 381 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:43,240 Speaker 1: the A lead educational institutions. I love Brown, I mean, 382 00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:47,240 Speaker 1: I think Brown is the most human of the selective 383 00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:50,800 Speaker 1: schools I've been exposed to, honestly, but that there has 384 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:55,280 Speaker 1: been some kind of pummeling that then a lot of 385 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:59,000 Speaker 1: folks have been subject to as they've come up. And 386 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:01,119 Speaker 1: I think one of one of the this is a 387 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:02,960 Speaker 1: bit of a non sequitor, but you know that that 388 00:22:03,359 --> 00:22:06,040 Speaker 1: scandal where parents were spending a lot of money getting 389 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:09,359 Speaker 1: their kids into selective schools, uh Like, I think that's 390 00:22:09,359 --> 00:22:11,879 Speaker 1: like one manifestation of it. Is just that there are 391 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:16,400 Speaker 1: these particular institutions that bestow a certain type of status 392 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:19,720 Speaker 1: on folks, and then a lot of families rear their 393 00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:22,600 Speaker 1: kids saying, well, you know, you need to get into 394 00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:25,480 Speaker 1: these schools or you're not going to have the kind 395 00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:28,000 Speaker 1: of life that you want, and kids internalized that very 396 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:31,320 Speaker 1: very early. So I think that that was one of 397 00:22:31,359 --> 00:22:33,680 Speaker 1: the things I was struggling with because Exeter at that 398 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:37,640 Speaker 1: time was very much like a hub of that kind 399 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:42,800 Speaker 1: of mindset. Is it is this getting too sad? I 400 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:46,520 Speaker 1: don't know, Sofia, I don't think it's sad. Honestly, I 401 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:50,320 Speaker 1: think I think it's really fascinating. And to your point, 402 00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:55,080 Speaker 1: I I think that when we reach these moments along 403 00:22:55,119 --> 00:22:58,760 Speaker 1: the roads of our lives where we have more tools 404 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:01,639 Speaker 1: in our tool belt, know where we understand more about 405 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:04,560 Speaker 1: systems and we can look back, just like you said, 406 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:08,640 Speaker 1: on the systems that raised us. I think that's kind 407 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:11,240 Speaker 1: of required. I get that some people maybe think it's 408 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:14,359 Speaker 1: a drag. I love this stuff. I I like to 409 00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:19,240 Speaker 1: analyze and and inspect so that we can envision bigger 410 00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:22,119 Speaker 1: and better moving forward. And I know that you do too. 411 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:25,359 Speaker 1: I mean, I imagine that there was some version of 412 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:28,120 Speaker 1: that spark in you that led you, you know, from 413 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:32,080 Speaker 1: uh thinking you were going to be a lawyer too, 414 00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:36,200 Speaker 1: jumping away from law and and working in startups. Can 415 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:38,399 Speaker 1: can you tell people a little bit about that, because 416 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:41,520 Speaker 1: to your point, you know, especially as a young man, 417 00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:45,240 Speaker 1: there's so much pressure about, you know, go to the 418 00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:47,840 Speaker 1: good college and get the big job. And you know, 419 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:50,359 Speaker 1: you're a son of immigrants, and I grew up in 420 00:23:50,359 --> 00:23:52,439 Speaker 1: a family of immigrants, and I joke that, like, you know, 421 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:54,919 Speaker 1: my uncle Raymond used to be like, you're either going 422 00:23:54,960 --> 00:23:57,040 Speaker 1: to be a doctor or a lawyer, or a lawyer 423 00:23:57,160 --> 00:24:00,240 Speaker 1: or a doctor, like that was the thing in my family. 424 00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:02,760 Speaker 1: You were going to get one of those jobs. And 425 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:07,600 Speaker 1: I'm curious, how did you have the courage after Brown, 426 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:12,359 Speaker 1: after Columbia Law How how did you say, you know, 427 00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:16,119 Speaker 1: J K L L. I don't think this is for me. Yeah. 428 00:24:16,200 --> 00:24:18,520 Speaker 1: So I graduated from law school, I get a job 429 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:21,560 Speaker 1: in New York. I'm making six figures as a twenty 430 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:24,720 Speaker 1: four year old, and I don't like the job at all. 431 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:27,520 Speaker 1: And so I think to myself, well, why am I 432 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:31,720 Speaker 1: doing this job? And then just to try and figure 433 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:33,280 Speaker 1: out why I was doing the job, I went to 434 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:36,280 Speaker 1: a department store and bought gifts from my family, and 435 00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:37,920 Speaker 1: I was like, maybe I'm doing this for the money, 436 00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:40,720 Speaker 1: so let me try that out. So I bought nice 437 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:43,280 Speaker 1: gifts for my mom, my dad, and my brother and 438 00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:46,560 Speaker 1: gave them those gifts over Thanksgiving. And then I was like, Nope, 439 00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:49,199 Speaker 1: that's not it. Where it's like, this is not a 440 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:51,439 Speaker 1: good enough reason for me to do this. From that 441 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:55,439 Speaker 1: last all of thirty seven seconds, yeah right, So, and 442 00:24:55,480 --> 00:25:00,520 Speaker 1: it actually did make me question why my parents came 443 00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:02,800 Speaker 1: to the US. It was like, did they come to 444 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:05,159 Speaker 1: the US so their son could make a good living 445 00:25:05,760 --> 00:25:09,000 Speaker 1: and then maybe kind of self replicate, like maybe I 446 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:12,439 Speaker 1: could find, you know, like a nice woman that you know, 447 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:15,800 Speaker 1: wanted to try and like like repeat the process. I 448 00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:18,080 Speaker 1: was like that there had to be something more to 449 00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:22,000 Speaker 1: why my parents fought to raise my brother and me here. 450 00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:24,320 Speaker 1: And so I left the law and my parents were 451 00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:25,720 Speaker 1: not pleased by this at all, Like, you know, I 452 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:28,399 Speaker 1: leave the law. I owed six figures in law school alone, 453 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:33,159 Speaker 1: so this was objectively like a poor decision. And I 454 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:36,400 Speaker 1: left the law to start a dot com that had 455 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:39,680 Speaker 1: its mini rise and maximum fall. Uh. And during that time, 456 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:41,480 Speaker 1: my parents still told their friends I was a lawyer, 457 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:43,879 Speaker 1: because that was a much easier story for Asian parents 458 00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:45,960 Speaker 1: to share than oh, you know, our son went and 459 00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:48,359 Speaker 1: left it all behind to start this dot com that 460 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:51,600 Speaker 1: flopped and I still owed the six figures in law 461 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:55,000 Speaker 1: school debt. So my mid twenties was this kind of 462 00:25:55,080 --> 00:26:00,480 Speaker 1: quest for some alternative to climbing the corporate ladder. And 463 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:02,840 Speaker 1: climbing the corporate ladder I said at the time, I 464 00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:05,600 Speaker 1: was like, look, I don't have wife, kids, mortgage, Like 465 00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:07,719 Speaker 1: I don't really have any obligations like why am I 466 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:10,800 Speaker 1: acting like I have obligations that that I don't have 467 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:13,640 Speaker 1: instead of trying to find something meaningful. And the dot 468 00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:17,439 Speaker 1: com that I co founded was You're gonna love this. 469 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:20,640 Speaker 1: It was called Stargiving dot com. It was a dot 470 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:24,560 Speaker 1: com to raise money for celebrity affiliated nonprofits more effectively 471 00:26:25,119 --> 00:26:26,960 Speaker 1: UM and the Internet was very new back then, and 472 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:29,840 Speaker 1: so the thought was that we could find a celebrity 473 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:32,160 Speaker 1: who wanted to help a nonprofit, and then we'd set 474 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:35,320 Speaker 1: up a click to donate button on star Giving, and 475 00:26:35,359 --> 00:26:39,200 Speaker 1: then one person who clicked on the button met the celebrity, 476 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:42,240 Speaker 1: and then everyone who clicked got shown very sponsors. And 477 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:44,720 Speaker 1: we thought we'd generated millions for charity and do it 478 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:48,040 Speaker 1: much as you know. It's very dot com one idea. 479 00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:51,600 Speaker 1: And so when that company flopped, it was very difficult 480 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:55,480 Speaker 1: for me and my confidence was shot. I was in 481 00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:58,960 Speaker 1: my mid to late twenties in New York City in debt, 482 00:26:59,359 --> 00:27:01,960 Speaker 1: not making a lot of money. All my law school 483 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:05,720 Speaker 1: classmates were starting to make money, uh, and I moved 484 00:27:05,720 --> 00:27:08,719 Speaker 1: into an apartment with a roommate to save money, and 485 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:11,000 Speaker 1: I started throwing parties on the side as like a 486 00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:14,520 Speaker 1: side hustle, I joined another startup, so it was, you know, 487 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:16,960 Speaker 1: it was like that kind of New York story for 488 00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:20,240 Speaker 1: me for a number of years. What kind of parties 489 00:27:20,240 --> 00:27:23,000 Speaker 1: were you guys throwing? Well, so what happened was I 490 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:25,560 Speaker 1: had a birthday party and a lot of people I 491 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:28,160 Speaker 1: didn't know showed up, and so I said, maybe there's 492 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:31,000 Speaker 1: a business here. So then I got together with some 493 00:27:31,119 --> 00:27:36,480 Speaker 1: friends and started throwing parties, especially after nine eleven in Tribeca, 494 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:40,320 Speaker 1: because after nine eleven, like all of downtown Manhattan kind 495 00:27:40,320 --> 00:27:43,760 Speaker 1: of emptied out, and there were these bars and clubs 496 00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:46,000 Speaker 1: that were trying to survive, and so I would just 497 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:49,120 Speaker 1: go and like fill those venues up with twenty something 498 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:51,679 Speaker 1: year olds who wanted to drink and party. And so 499 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:53,520 Speaker 1: I did that for a number of years. In my 500 00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:57,320 Speaker 1: late twenties, I was like I also started tutoring on 501 00:27:57,359 --> 00:28:00,000 Speaker 1: the side, and I was working at a healthcare software 502 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:04,280 Speaker 1: a startup. So I became a very scrappy type, in 503 00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:08,320 Speaker 1: part because I had a company fail from under me, 504 00:28:08,840 --> 00:28:12,359 Speaker 1: and so I always thought, well, if the next thing fails, 505 00:28:12,359 --> 00:28:14,399 Speaker 1: I should have something to fall back on. I was 506 00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:16,800 Speaker 1: a little bit burnt, you know, for a few years, 507 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:21,600 Speaker 1: totally I think that's a very fair reaction, especially when 508 00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:23,960 Speaker 1: you when you know that something could work and you 509 00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:26,439 Speaker 1: have an ideal behind it and it doesn't work, it 510 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:30,040 Speaker 1: feels kind of like a loss, you know Morkin too, 511 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:34,720 Speaker 1: almost a death than just to miss the business opportunity, 512 00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:38,160 Speaker 1: because it's it's your core, you know, it's something about 513 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:40,840 Speaker 1: your belief system well, and it's very tough because it's 514 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:43,200 Speaker 1: public too. I mean, as a creative, you might feel 515 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:45,720 Speaker 1: this like there you've been in you know obviously like 516 00:28:45,760 --> 00:28:47,400 Speaker 1: does the project, but there might be a project that 517 00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:51,600 Speaker 1: you were like, this is uh my project, and I 518 00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:54,200 Speaker 1: put put my heart and soul into it, and then 519 00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:57,840 Speaker 1: if that fails, like you feel it very very deeply 520 00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:00,280 Speaker 1: and personally. Yeah, And that was my experience with the 521 00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:02,400 Speaker 1: first company I started, because I went out to everyone 522 00:29:02,440 --> 00:29:05,000 Speaker 1: I knew and was like, I'm starting this company that 523 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:07,960 Speaker 1: you know, it's very public at least that the company existed, 524 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:12,480 Speaker 1: and then it's failure was also thus similarly very well 525 00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:14,760 Speaker 1: known to everyone I knew um And so there was 526 00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:17,640 Speaker 1: a period when I felt like everyone I knew regarded 527 00:29:17,680 --> 00:29:19,880 Speaker 1: me as a failure and it was very very difficult. 528 00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:22,400 Speaker 1: But then you start realizing that's mainly in your head, 529 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:25,120 Speaker 1: not their's, and that you know, like, like you know, 530 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:27,880 Speaker 1: no one actually is looking at you saying like ha ha, Andrew, 531 00:29:27,920 --> 00:29:29,800 Speaker 1: you started this company and you failed, like you suck, 532 00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:33,400 Speaker 1: even though you might think they're thinking that at least 533 00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:35,400 Speaker 1: for a little while. Yeah, it is funny when you 534 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:38,080 Speaker 1: realize that people are so concerned with what's going on 535 00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:39,920 Speaker 1: in their lives that they're not really paying attention to 536 00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:43,479 Speaker 1: what's going on in yours. Did you did you have 537 00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:46,280 Speaker 1: a particular project that you felt more like there was 538 00:29:46,360 --> 00:29:49,720 Speaker 1: much more personally yours, and that whether it succeeded or failed, 539 00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:53,040 Speaker 1: you were going to be either elated or hurt by that. Yeah. 540 00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:57,200 Speaker 1: I it's interesting. I met a really incredible writer who 541 00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:03,280 Speaker 1: wrote an unbelievably smart kind of political, you know, espionage 542 00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:06,680 Speaker 1: thriller story, but he wrote it during the Obama era. 543 00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:11,640 Speaker 1: And what I've learned about TV is that you know, 544 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:14,800 Speaker 1: when we for example, when we feel safe politically, we 545 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:17,240 Speaker 1: want to watch the West Wing. When we feel like 546 00:30:17,280 --> 00:30:19,880 Speaker 1: we're in danger politically, we really want to watch Ship's Creek. 547 00:30:20,760 --> 00:30:23,960 Speaker 1: We can't handle scary political content when the world is 548 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:29,840 Speaker 1: politically scary. And so when we felt safer, like there 549 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:32,280 Speaker 1: was hope, like the energy. It was, yes, we can 550 00:30:32,680 --> 00:30:37,520 Speaker 1: make it better, do smarter. It was great times. Um, 551 00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:39,080 Speaker 1: you know, you and I both got to work on 552 00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:43,600 Speaker 1: really really cool stuff during that administration. We were excited 553 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:47,800 Speaker 1: about exploring, you know, the dark Web and Russian misinformation 554 00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:50,040 Speaker 1: and all of these things that this script was about. 555 00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:53,560 Speaker 1: And then by the time we met and we kind 556 00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:57,400 Speaker 1: of finessed it to fit for me rather than this 557 00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:00,480 Speaker 1: woman who had been you know, in the game forever 558 00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:03,840 Speaker 1: and was fifty five and all of these things. We 559 00:31:03,920 --> 00:31:10,600 Speaker 1: made this unbelievable pilot. We had this unbelievable cast, and honestly, 560 00:31:10,640 --> 00:31:12,760 Speaker 1: everyone was like, we really love it and it's really 561 00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:17,520 Speaker 1: good and we can't bear to watch it, like it's 562 00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:20,520 Speaker 1: in the Trump era. For for the television studio, they 563 00:31:20,560 --> 00:31:22,520 Speaker 1: were just like, it's too close to home, Like we 564 00:31:22,560 --> 00:31:25,040 Speaker 1: can't we don't know how to market this. We don't like, 565 00:31:25,480 --> 00:31:30,240 Speaker 1: you can't sell this as a cool idea because it's 566 00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:34,480 Speaker 1: happening and it's you know, and my poor writer Dave 567 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:37,480 Speaker 1: was like, I didn't know what was coming, and we 568 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:39,800 Speaker 1: were also sad, but you know, you have to you 569 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:43,240 Speaker 1: have to understand where things work in the landscape, and 570 00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:45,959 Speaker 1: you know, you guys were early honestly with your idea 571 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:49,680 Speaker 1: for this click to donate thing. Now everybody does it, 572 00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:54,000 Speaker 1: but yeah, that was so hard for me. It was 573 00:31:54,160 --> 00:32:01,120 Speaker 1: so hard to take that l and really hard even 574 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:05,880 Speaker 1: though in my head I understood the landscape emotionally, it 575 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:07,960 Speaker 1: just felt like I made a thing I cared about 576 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:12,040 Speaker 1: and it didn't work for me. Yeah, you put your 577 00:32:12,080 --> 00:32:14,600 Speaker 1: heart and soul into something, work closely with people, produce 578 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:16,720 Speaker 1: a pilot that it sounds when we were super proud 579 00:32:16,720 --> 00:32:19,920 Speaker 1: of it was so good. But you know, there should 580 00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:21,440 Speaker 1: be there should be a way for us to see 581 00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:24,200 Speaker 1: these pilots, because I've now heard of a number of 582 00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:26,360 Speaker 1: pilots that seem like they'd be awesome, and then we 583 00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:30,120 Speaker 1: can imagine. I'm still really close to everyone from that project, 584 00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:31,440 Speaker 1: and I was actually saying the other day, I was like, 585 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:33,000 Speaker 1: what do you think, like we can get the rights 586 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:35,200 Speaker 1: back and maybe make it a movie like this would 587 00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:38,600 Speaker 1: be a sick Netflix movie now, you know, um so 588 00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:40,880 Speaker 1: who knows, We'll see. There's always I think, an option. 589 00:32:40,920 --> 00:32:46,320 Speaker 1: But it strikes me that even in my storytelling, I'm 590 00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:49,480 Speaker 1: so drawn to activism. I'm drawn to politics. I'm drawn 591 00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:52,840 Speaker 1: to social change. And and you know when you were 592 00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:57,440 Speaker 1: talking about wanting to get out of the legal world, 593 00:32:57,520 --> 00:33:01,280 Speaker 1: not wanting to fall victim to this estimation that you 594 00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:04,560 Speaker 1: were supposed to have, you know, the six figure job 595 00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:06,640 Speaker 1: and do the thing that didn't make you that happy, 596 00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:09,200 Speaker 1: just so you could go to the department store. That 597 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:15,840 Speaker 1: that's a reaction to the you know, purely average capitalistic 598 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:19,200 Speaker 1: success story of the quote American dream. And and so 599 00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:24,640 Speaker 1: I'm curious for you, where did the desire to envision 600 00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:27,160 Speaker 1: a new way forward, a new way of doing business, 601 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:30,120 Speaker 1: a new way of participating in the economy, which to 602 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:33,240 Speaker 1: me really is rooted in activism and political change. Where 603 00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:35,800 Speaker 1: did that come from? Was that a natural drive? Did 604 00:33:35,840 --> 00:33:37,880 Speaker 1: you have a mentor was it like an itch you 605 00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:41,880 Speaker 1: have that you needed to scratch? How did that start? Oh? 606 00:33:42,040 --> 00:33:45,400 Speaker 1: What's interesting, so bea is I was fundamentally or deeply 607 00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:48,000 Speaker 1: affected by going to Columbia Law School and seeing a 608 00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:51,120 Speaker 1: lot of really smart young people show up and then 609 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:55,720 Speaker 1: having their ambitions shaped and channeled in a particular way. Uh. 610 00:33:55,800 --> 00:33:58,520 Speaker 1: And if you go into corporate law New York City 611 00:33:58,680 --> 00:34:00,959 Speaker 1: at that time, or frankly, I think pretty much ever 612 00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:03,320 Speaker 1: since the nature of the work that we were doing 613 00:34:03,880 --> 00:34:06,320 Speaker 1: was that we were ministering two very very large corporate 614 00:34:06,360 --> 00:34:10,040 Speaker 1: transactions and making sure that the documents are okay. So 615 00:34:10,200 --> 00:34:13,400 Speaker 1: I started to compare myself to grease on a wheel. 616 00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:16,799 Speaker 1: It was like, we were like transaction costs um. But 617 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:19,520 Speaker 1: because you're talking about transactions that are worth hundreds of millions, 618 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:22,279 Speaker 1: then the lawyers get paid, you know, eventually like you know, 619 00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:24,680 Speaker 1: a million or two. And so if you're a young person, 620 00:34:24,719 --> 00:34:26,439 Speaker 1: you're a lawyer in training, then you get paid six 621 00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:30,879 Speaker 1: figures to maybe become like a better transaction cost. And 622 00:34:31,320 --> 00:34:33,120 Speaker 1: I said at one point, I was like, this law 623 00:34:33,160 --> 00:34:35,120 Speaker 1: firm is like a temple to the squandering of human 624 00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:40,799 Speaker 1: potential um, you know. And and because you had some 625 00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:43,680 Speaker 1: of the smartest, best educated people in the country doing 626 00:34:43,719 --> 00:34:48,240 Speaker 1: work that was objectively not very productive or even interesting. Sorry, 627 00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:50,920 Speaker 1: you know, I mean like hopefully that's not too you 628 00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:53,719 Speaker 1: know again, I mean not not indictment of anyone. You know, 629 00:34:53,760 --> 00:34:57,400 Speaker 1: we all like you know, we're we're all doing things. 630 00:34:57,400 --> 00:35:00,160 Speaker 1: So for me saying, okay, like I'm going to try 631 00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:02,400 Speaker 1: and do something that I'm excited about and proud of. 632 00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:05,600 Speaker 1: And I read a book called Built to Last about entrepreneurship. 633 00:35:05,640 --> 00:35:07,080 Speaker 1: It's like, I really want to try and become one 634 00:35:07,120 --> 00:35:10,880 Speaker 1: of those, and then falling on my face so thoroughly 635 00:35:11,600 --> 00:35:14,920 Speaker 1: was very, very difficult. And then I spent a number 636 00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:18,520 Speaker 1: of years trying to become better at building a business 637 00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:23,240 Speaker 1: and or managing a company, and through really great fortune, 638 00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:26,680 Speaker 1: more than anything else, I became the head of an 639 00:35:26,760 --> 00:35:30,680 Speaker 1: education company in New York City called Manhattan Prep. When 640 00:35:30,680 --> 00:35:33,520 Speaker 1: I was thirty one. I was the first teacher outside 641 00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:37,760 Speaker 1: of the founder at this company, maybe maybe five years prior, 642 00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:41,320 Speaker 1: but I had seen it as something of like a 643 00:35:41,360 --> 00:35:46,040 Speaker 1: side gig. And then the founder decided to leave to 644 00:35:46,080 --> 00:35:48,680 Speaker 1: start a charter school for underprivileged kids here in New York. 645 00:35:48,719 --> 00:35:51,040 Speaker 1: He's got a beautiful soul, and so he asked me 646 00:35:51,120 --> 00:35:53,840 Speaker 1: to take over the business for him. And then I 647 00:35:53,880 --> 00:35:57,000 Speaker 1: spent six years running that company. And if you run 648 00:35:57,040 --> 00:35:59,680 Speaker 1: a company, you become kind of like the head of 649 00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:02,600 Speaker 1: an extended family a bit. You know, Like the company 650 00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:04,799 Speaker 1: had a couple of hundred employees, and we expanded around 651 00:36:04,840 --> 00:36:07,680 Speaker 1: the country, and so i'd like every year I'd host 652 00:36:07,760 --> 00:36:10,840 Speaker 1: all the instructors for this convocation. It's like, you know, 653 00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:14,319 Speaker 1: also kind of nerdy, and when when that company was 654 00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:18,120 Speaker 1: bought in two thousand nine. That that's when I had 655 00:36:18,120 --> 00:36:20,200 Speaker 1: this soul searching that you were describing a bit of 656 00:36:20,239 --> 00:36:22,640 Speaker 1: It's like, what what is the meaning? And I was 657 00:36:23,080 --> 00:36:27,440 Speaker 1: driven by this reaction. I still had to those hundreds 658 00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:29,000 Speaker 1: of people I went to law school with and the 659 00:36:29,040 --> 00:36:31,279 Speaker 1: hundreds of people I worked with, and I said, why 660 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:36,919 Speaker 1: is it that we're turning are really talented people into 661 00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:40,280 Speaker 1: And at the time it was bankers, consultants, lawyers, and 662 00:36:40,320 --> 00:36:44,319 Speaker 1: now you you'd put technologists in there too, who eight 663 00:36:44,320 --> 00:36:47,399 Speaker 1: times out of ten are not actually solving the most 664 00:36:47,440 --> 00:36:50,840 Speaker 1: important problems like that, they're just driving our capitalist economy 665 00:36:50,880 --> 00:36:54,080 Speaker 1: to your early earlier point, like in a very specific direction. 666 00:36:55,719 --> 00:36:57,560 Speaker 1: And so then I thought, well, the reason why that's 667 00:36:57,600 --> 00:37:00,880 Speaker 1: happening is because when you graduated from Columbia Law the 668 00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:03,080 Speaker 1: way I did, there were many firms that were just 669 00:37:03,120 --> 00:37:05,600 Speaker 1: waiting with a pile of money for you, and they 670 00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:07,680 Speaker 1: recruited you when you were a second year, and it 671 00:37:07,760 --> 00:37:10,480 Speaker 1: was like the path at least resistance, and those recruiting 672 00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:14,319 Speaker 1: pipelines existed for all of these fields, at all of 673 00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:17,640 Speaker 1: the selective institutions, and so I thought, well, what we 674 00:37:17,680 --> 00:37:21,960 Speaker 1: need is we need a pathway to entrepreneurship and building 675 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:26,360 Speaker 1: things of meaning that will compete with those firms. And 676 00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:28,920 Speaker 1: so I started a nonprofit called Venture for America to 677 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:32,560 Speaker 1: try and provide this um and it would train young 678 00:37:32,600 --> 00:37:37,000 Speaker 1: people to be entrepreneurs in Detroit, New Orleans, Baltimore, Cleveland, 679 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:39,399 Speaker 1: all these cities around the country. And I spent six 680 00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:42,520 Speaker 1: years building that organization, in part as like a reaction 681 00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:47,560 Speaker 1: to my formative educational years. And it was only after 682 00:37:47,680 --> 00:37:50,640 Speaker 1: running that organization for six years that I realized that 683 00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:53,520 Speaker 1: our economy was transforming in really fundamental ways that we're 684 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:57,279 Speaker 1: going to be disastrous for a lot of people. That 685 00:37:57,400 --> 00:37:59,560 Speaker 1: I then decided to run for president. That's when you 686 00:37:59,560 --> 00:38:03,759 Speaker 1: and I met um. But in a way, I think 687 00:38:03,800 --> 00:38:07,920 Speaker 1: my activism was catalyzed by what I'd seen and experienced 688 00:38:09,480 --> 00:38:24,600 Speaker 1: kind of climbing the ranks here in New York looking 689 00:38:24,640 --> 00:38:27,359 Speaker 1: at the trends in the economy that are very disastrous 690 00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:30,960 Speaker 1: for a lot of people. You know, this absurd wealth 691 00:38:31,040 --> 00:38:34,880 Speaker 1: gap that is growing. I always found it so interesting, 692 00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:39,920 Speaker 1: you know, during the last administration, in particular the the 693 00:38:40,360 --> 00:38:44,400 Speaker 1: just out in the open obsession with kind of obscene wealth, 694 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:50,320 Speaker 1: but also the demonization of people who are more obviously 695 00:38:50,440 --> 00:38:53,799 Speaker 1: viewed as successful. Like I always laughed at Donald Trump 696 00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:56,040 Speaker 1: always wanted to come for the actors and be like, well, 697 00:38:56,120 --> 00:38:58,719 Speaker 1: you elites, And I'm like, bro, I don't know any 698 00:38:58,760 --> 00:39:01,839 Speaker 1: actors with jets, but you have one, and like all 699 00:39:01,880 --> 00:39:04,960 Speaker 1: your Wall Street friends have them, and come on, let's 700 00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:11,040 Speaker 1: have real conversations about what these elite economic classes look like. 701 00:39:11,239 --> 00:39:14,040 Speaker 1: But those people often get to operate in the shadows. 702 00:39:14,680 --> 00:39:18,759 Speaker 1: And it's not lost on me that you know any 703 00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:21,359 Speaker 1: of us. At least for me, I'll personalize it. You know, 704 00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:27,040 Speaker 1: I am incredibly grateful that my job has allowed me 705 00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:32,640 Speaker 1: to feel financially stable in my life. Also, I'm very 706 00:39:32,719 --> 00:39:35,759 Speaker 1: clearly aware that some of that is because I have 707 00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:38,160 Speaker 1: a union. I have health care because because I'm in 708 00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:42,759 Speaker 1: a union, I only have any protections because I'm a 709 00:39:42,840 --> 00:39:45,879 Speaker 1: union worker. And so when people say, you know, why 710 00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:48,000 Speaker 1: are you always advocating for an increase in minimum wage? 711 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:49,919 Speaker 1: It won't affect you anyway, I'm like, it affects every 712 00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:54,359 Speaker 1: person I work with, all my other unif you know, 713 00:39:54,520 --> 00:39:58,279 Speaker 1: and and and for me, I think people also forget that, 714 00:39:58,400 --> 00:40:00,480 Speaker 1: you know, actors have years or their work and making 715 00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:02,279 Speaker 1: money and years where they don't make any money at all. 716 00:40:02,880 --> 00:40:08,040 Speaker 1: And for me, the thing that could not feel clearer 717 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:10,399 Speaker 1: is that we're really all on the same team and 718 00:40:10,480 --> 00:40:13,440 Speaker 1: we need a rising tide to lift all ships. And 719 00:40:13,560 --> 00:40:18,120 Speaker 1: currently it feels like the tide has gone through. And this, 720 00:40:18,120 --> 00:40:20,360 Speaker 1: this will show my Canadian on my dad's side, the 721 00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:23,319 Speaker 1: tide has really gone through the locking system. So you know, 722 00:40:23,719 --> 00:40:27,280 Speaker 1: the ship went in and and then that lock was raised, 723 00:40:27,320 --> 00:40:29,520 Speaker 1: but all the other locks have stayed at low tide. 724 00:40:29,600 --> 00:40:32,920 Speaker 1: And I feel like we're locking people out of the 725 00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:37,000 Speaker 1: ability to participate more meaningfully in the economy. And that's 726 00:40:37,040 --> 00:40:39,440 Speaker 1: what really makes me curious. You know, as you mentioned, 727 00:40:39,760 --> 00:40:45,400 Speaker 1: your presidential campaign centered a lot on innovative economic ideas. 728 00:40:45,520 --> 00:40:47,759 Speaker 1: You know, you talked about a digital credit system, you 729 00:40:47,800 --> 00:40:51,480 Speaker 1: talked about a universal basic income. Can you explain a 730 00:40:51,520 --> 00:40:55,120 Speaker 1: little bit about the digital social credit that you know, 731 00:40:55,160 --> 00:40:57,680 Speaker 1: the d s C as you call it. Can you 732 00:40:57,719 --> 00:40:59,840 Speaker 1: talk to us a little bit about how the economy 733 00:41:00,320 --> 00:41:04,359 Speaker 1: might work better for us? Yeah, I would love to 734 00:41:04,440 --> 00:41:07,479 Speaker 1: just talk about the pandemic, because one of the themes 735 00:41:07,520 --> 00:41:09,960 Speaker 1: of this conversation with you, Sophie, is that there's been 736 00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:12,960 Speaker 1: this kind of myth of the meritocracy that has suffused 737 00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:16,160 Speaker 1: are our country where it's like, if you're successful, it's 738 00:41:16,160 --> 00:41:17,600 Speaker 1: because you worked hard and you deserve and if you're 739 00:41:17,600 --> 00:41:20,399 Speaker 1: not successful, then somehow you messed up somehow, And and 740 00:41:21,080 --> 00:41:23,080 Speaker 1: then we have all these educational institutions that are kind 741 00:41:23,080 --> 00:41:26,120 Speaker 1: of reinforcing that in particular way, and the pandemic hopefully 742 00:41:26,200 --> 00:41:30,719 Speaker 1: just kind of shreds that for good, because obviously it's 743 00:41:30,760 --> 00:41:36,200 Speaker 1: not anyone's fault that there bus tour company or bar 744 00:41:36,600 --> 00:41:39,839 Speaker 1: or a restaurant or a theater company or whatever it is, 745 00:41:40,200 --> 00:41:42,640 Speaker 1: like has shut down for a period of time, like 746 00:41:42,680 --> 00:41:45,719 Speaker 1: has something to do with your individual work ethic or 747 00:41:45,960 --> 00:41:50,160 Speaker 1: or any of that um. And what happened with the 748 00:41:50,200 --> 00:41:53,520 Speaker 1: pandemic was some of what I had feared would happen 749 00:41:53,560 --> 00:41:56,040 Speaker 1: because of advancing technology that was just going to end 750 00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:59,080 Speaker 1: up pushing a lot of Americans to the side. And 751 00:41:59,160 --> 00:42:01,440 Speaker 1: so my goal with universal based Game Come And I'm 752 00:42:01,520 --> 00:42:03,719 Speaker 1: really curious what you thought of when when when you 753 00:42:03,800 --> 00:42:06,200 Speaker 1: first heard about, you know, the Universal based Gamecome proposal 754 00:42:06,239 --> 00:42:09,480 Speaker 1: when I was running for president. Now versions of that 755 00:42:09,520 --> 00:42:14,200 Speaker 1: are being passed into law by by Joe Biden, Chuck 756 00:42:14,239 --> 00:42:16,520 Speaker 1: Schumer and everyone else. I mean, we're going to get 757 00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:19,279 Speaker 1: a tax credit that could alleviate child poverty. Thanks a 758 00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:22,440 Speaker 1: part again to you and me and Rev Warnock and 759 00:42:22,520 --> 00:42:25,880 Speaker 1: John Ausuf and all of that. I actually got to 760 00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:28,960 Speaker 1: help work on UM the Compton Pledge here in l A. 761 00:42:29,239 --> 00:42:31,759 Speaker 1: You know we've been doing it was so cool. We've 762 00:42:31,800 --> 00:42:35,239 Speaker 1: been doing so much amazing, you know, local grassroots organizing here, 763 00:42:35,280 --> 00:42:38,440 Speaker 1: passing Measure JA to make sure we can get restorative 764 00:42:38,480 --> 00:42:41,239 Speaker 1: justice as part of the l A County budget, getting this, 765 00:42:41,400 --> 00:42:44,520 Speaker 1: you know, universal basic income pilot program launched in Compton 766 00:42:44,680 --> 00:42:46,800 Speaker 1: after Michael Tubbs did it as the mayor and Stockton. 767 00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:50,880 Speaker 1: There's great stuff happening here, and I think so often 768 00:42:50,920 --> 00:42:52,440 Speaker 1: about how it is a lot of what we were 769 00:42:52,480 --> 00:42:56,120 Speaker 1: talking about in the primaries. Yes, And one of the 770 00:42:56,120 --> 00:42:58,640 Speaker 1: things that I would love your help talking about, because 771 00:42:58,640 --> 00:43:01,759 Speaker 1: I certainly have not done a enough job about it, 772 00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:06,040 Speaker 1: is that I think this is imperative for women in particular, 773 00:43:06,520 --> 00:43:09,000 Speaker 1: because women right now do the vast majority of the 774 00:43:09,120 --> 00:43:13,239 Speaker 1: unrecognized and uncompensated work in our society. And so if you, 775 00:43:13,520 --> 00:43:17,239 Speaker 1: for example, just start having a universal basic income, it's 776 00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:21,160 Speaker 1: going to disproportionately benefit the folks who right now the 777 00:43:21,200 --> 00:43:25,320 Speaker 1: market is pushing to the side which is going to 778 00:43:25,360 --> 00:43:28,719 Speaker 1: be women in a lot more cases. And uh, you know, 779 00:43:28,719 --> 00:43:30,160 Speaker 1: and one of the things I said on the trail 780 00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:32,000 Speaker 1: was that, look like my wife is at home with 781 00:43:32,120 --> 00:43:34,879 Speaker 1: our boys, one of whom is autistic. Like, what does 782 00:43:34,920 --> 00:43:37,600 Speaker 1: the market value her work at like, you know, zero? 783 00:43:37,760 --> 00:43:40,520 Speaker 1: What does GDP value her work at? Zero? Like? Does 784 00:43:40,560 --> 00:43:45,239 Speaker 1: that seem right to you? No? Yeah, that was the 785 00:43:45,280 --> 00:43:48,400 Speaker 1: dumbest thing ever. Yeah. I saw an amazing article recently 786 00:43:48,400 --> 00:43:52,360 Speaker 1: that talked about how valued at current minimum wage, not 787 00:43:52,440 --> 00:43:56,720 Speaker 1: a fifteen dollar minimum wage, current seven an hour minimum wage, 788 00:43:57,040 --> 00:44:00,279 Speaker 1: the unpaid labor of women in America is a one 789 00:44:00,360 --> 00:44:06,480 Speaker 1: point four trillion dollar a year deficit. Yes, And so 790 00:44:06,520 --> 00:44:10,279 Speaker 1: if you look at that, there's no mystery why frankly, Like, 791 00:44:10,560 --> 00:44:13,719 Speaker 1: you know, so many of our kids are struggling. I mean, 792 00:44:13,719 --> 00:44:15,560 Speaker 1: there are a lot of reasons because they're struggling, but 793 00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:16,799 Speaker 1: a lot of it is we're just like making it 794 00:44:17,000 --> 00:44:20,279 Speaker 1: harder and harder for parents to spend time with their 795 00:44:20,360 --> 00:44:22,640 Speaker 1: children because we're treating it like it has no value. 796 00:44:22,719 --> 00:44:24,960 Speaker 1: And then you know, we make daycare super expensive and 797 00:44:25,000 --> 00:44:27,759 Speaker 1: people have to make really really impossible choices. So at 798 00:44:27,760 --> 00:44:29,640 Speaker 1: one point four trillion dollars, like if you were to 799 00:44:29,680 --> 00:44:32,560 Speaker 1: properly value it. Imagine a world where all of that 800 00:44:32,960 --> 00:44:36,560 Speaker 1: actually was just recognized and then just distributed as cash. 801 00:44:36,920 --> 00:44:39,000 Speaker 1: It was like, guess what, if you're doing this kind 802 00:44:39,040 --> 00:44:42,200 Speaker 1: of caregiving work, we're just gonna pay you. And if 803 00:44:42,239 --> 00:44:45,040 Speaker 1: we did that, the world would be better, Like we'd 804 00:44:45,040 --> 00:44:48,440 Speaker 1: be recognizing more of the actual value that's getting delivered. 805 00:44:48,640 --> 00:44:51,000 Speaker 1: And so is one of the cases I was making 806 00:44:51,080 --> 00:44:53,960 Speaker 1: on the trail was like, look like, if you're for 807 00:44:54,840 --> 00:44:57,319 Speaker 1: gender equity, then we should just be putting money into 808 00:44:57,360 --> 00:45:00,879 Speaker 1: people's hands immediately. Be this is just going to help 809 00:45:00,920 --> 00:45:03,520 Speaker 1: women get what you all should have been getting for 810 00:45:03,640 --> 00:45:05,840 Speaker 1: you know, years, in decades and generations, and that's just 811 00:45:05,960 --> 00:45:10,360 Speaker 1: right now, Like the market is intrinsically anti women. So anyway, 812 00:45:10,400 --> 00:45:11,920 Speaker 1: that that was the case that I was making, and 813 00:45:11,960 --> 00:45:14,239 Speaker 1: I don't think I ever succeeded, as you can probably tell. 814 00:45:14,280 --> 00:45:16,120 Speaker 1: Even listening to this, you're like, hey, Andrew, that still 815 00:45:16,160 --> 00:45:19,960 Speaker 1: wasn't that great. No, I think I love it, and 816 00:45:20,000 --> 00:45:22,520 Speaker 1: I think it is an incredibly important conversation to have. 817 00:45:22,680 --> 00:45:25,000 Speaker 1: I'm really curious, you know, because you brought up Evelyn, 818 00:45:25,040 --> 00:45:28,400 Speaker 1: you brought up your kids. How do you guys managed 819 00:45:28,440 --> 00:45:32,000 Speaker 1: to balance this this big life? You know your work, 820 00:45:32,600 --> 00:45:36,760 Speaker 1: your foundation, humanity forward, all of these things you're doing. 821 00:45:36,840 --> 00:45:40,240 Speaker 1: And you said you've got two boys at home. What's 822 00:45:40,360 --> 00:45:43,440 Speaker 1: personal life like for you, guys? How do you balance 823 00:45:43,480 --> 00:45:47,680 Speaker 1: a family dynamic while you're trying to change the world. Well, first, 824 00:45:48,040 --> 00:45:50,680 Speaker 1: I'm super grateful to Evelyn, and I expressed it every day. 825 00:45:51,000 --> 00:45:52,680 Speaker 1: But I have to say running for mayor of New 826 00:45:52,719 --> 00:45:55,759 Speaker 1: York City is vastly superior to running for president really 827 00:45:55,800 --> 00:45:59,960 Speaker 1: because yeah, in these direct ways, because I see my 828 00:46:00,040 --> 00:46:03,200 Speaker 1: family every morning and night. And then today, as an example, 829 00:46:03,280 --> 00:46:06,759 Speaker 1: we went to the Yankees game to celebrate Opening Day 830 00:46:07,719 --> 00:46:10,720 Speaker 1: as a mayoral event, but my wife and two boys 831 00:46:10,719 --> 00:46:12,919 Speaker 1: were there and we just spent the afternoon at the game, 832 00:46:12,960 --> 00:46:15,400 Speaker 1: and that was like totally like a fine way to 833 00:46:15,440 --> 00:46:18,320 Speaker 1: spend the afternoon while you were campaigning for mayor. Um 834 00:46:18,520 --> 00:46:22,600 Speaker 1: So I try and combine the two as much as possible. 835 00:46:23,200 --> 00:46:26,279 Speaker 1: And this is light years better than the presidential was 836 00:46:26,320 --> 00:46:29,239 Speaker 1: where during the presidential you and I have met for 837 00:46:29,239 --> 00:46:32,280 Speaker 1: the first time in Iowa, like it would be like, Hey, 838 00:46:32,400 --> 00:46:35,120 Speaker 1: I'm leaving on Monday, I'll be back you know Sunday. 839 00:46:37,520 --> 00:46:40,120 Speaker 1: I think like that was really hard, and the fact 840 00:46:40,160 --> 00:46:44,120 Speaker 1: that the family was strong and whole during those months 841 00:46:44,440 --> 00:46:46,880 Speaker 1: is really just testament to how fortunate I am to 842 00:46:47,080 --> 00:46:49,520 Speaker 1: have Evelyn as a partner, because she just was a 843 00:46:49,600 --> 00:46:53,200 Speaker 1: rock and a rock star. But the mayoral campaign is 844 00:46:53,280 --> 00:46:56,319 Speaker 1: vastly superior in that, like the family feels like they're 845 00:46:56,400 --> 00:46:58,680 Speaker 1: part of it. And Evelyn is, you know, more New 846 00:46:58,719 --> 00:47:00,200 Speaker 1: York than I am the sense that she was born 847 00:47:00,239 --> 00:47:02,040 Speaker 1: and raised here and I grew up in Queens and 848 00:47:02,520 --> 00:47:04,600 Speaker 1: I went to Stuyveson, which is a very New York school. 849 00:47:04,600 --> 00:47:10,520 Speaker 1: You probably haven't heard of it. Um, So yeah, it's 850 00:47:10,520 --> 00:47:13,840 Speaker 1: it's been great on that side. And Evelyn's really embraced 851 00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:18,080 Speaker 1: kind of the activism spirit of the last several years 852 00:47:18,120 --> 00:47:21,600 Speaker 1: for US Sophia, because it's funny, most people met me 853 00:47:21,680 --> 00:47:24,439 Speaker 1: when I was running for president, but I started run 854 00:47:24,440 --> 00:47:26,960 Speaker 1: a nonprofit for you know, six and a half years 855 00:47:26,960 --> 00:47:30,040 Speaker 1: prior to that, uh, and then running for president was 856 00:47:30,080 --> 00:47:33,760 Speaker 1: kind of an extension of that activism where I started 857 00:47:33,760 --> 00:47:36,400 Speaker 1: an organization because I was trying to fix the economy 858 00:47:36,680 --> 00:47:38,600 Speaker 1: to make it work better for people, and I was like, well, 859 00:47:38,880 --> 00:47:40,680 Speaker 1: the only way to fix it is to start giving 860 00:47:40,760 --> 00:47:44,120 Speaker 1: money out to people very quickly and directly, which was 861 00:47:44,320 --> 00:47:47,560 Speaker 1: very dramatic sounding at the time, but I thought the 862 00:47:47,560 --> 00:47:49,240 Speaker 1: only way to do that would be to run for president. 863 00:47:49,680 --> 00:47:52,960 Speaker 1: And then that achieved, you know, many of its goals. 864 00:47:53,560 --> 00:47:56,240 Speaker 1: And then now New York City is in a frankly 865 00:47:56,280 --> 00:47:58,759 Speaker 1: and like in a very very tough condition, and I 866 00:47:58,800 --> 00:48:01,839 Speaker 1: think I can help. We're going to try and make 867 00:48:01,960 --> 00:48:05,200 Speaker 1: this the anti poverty city. The UBI trials you're talking 868 00:48:05,239 --> 00:48:08,359 Speaker 1: about in Compton and Stockton, which I am so thrilled about, 869 00:48:08,480 --> 00:48:11,520 Speaker 1: excited about. I want to go big here in New 870 00:48:11,600 --> 00:48:13,600 Speaker 1: York City, Like I want to make this the anti 871 00:48:13,680 --> 00:48:17,400 Speaker 1: poverty city because it's the right thing to do, but 872 00:48:17,480 --> 00:48:20,200 Speaker 1: I also think it's going to help speed up our recovery, 873 00:48:20,760 --> 00:48:22,839 Speaker 1: like the city. Have you spent a lot of time 874 00:48:22,840 --> 00:48:25,120 Speaker 1: in New York City? It sounds like you have. Oh yeah, yeah. 875 00:48:25,160 --> 00:48:28,440 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, my mom is is a born 876 00:48:28,520 --> 00:48:32,879 Speaker 1: New Jersey and then raised New Yorker, and so much 877 00:48:32,880 --> 00:48:35,000 Speaker 1: of my family's there, and I've spent so much of 878 00:48:35,040 --> 00:48:38,280 Speaker 1: my time there, you know, as a kid, and also 879 00:48:38,360 --> 00:48:40,680 Speaker 1: lived there off and on for the last fifteen years. 880 00:48:40,760 --> 00:48:44,680 Speaker 1: So New York feels like we want to get it back. 881 00:48:44,880 --> 00:48:47,040 Speaker 1: It feels like my second home. And and so this 882 00:48:47,120 --> 00:48:50,200 Speaker 1: is like the next level of activism Sophia. You know, 883 00:48:50,280 --> 00:48:53,000 Speaker 1: as I'm saying this, I'm thinking to myself, Sophia should 884 00:48:53,040 --> 00:48:58,400 Speaker 1: run for mayor of whatever town, because this, to me 885 00:48:58,520 --> 00:49:02,760 Speaker 1: is like the both the need and the challenge. Where 886 00:49:03,440 --> 00:49:05,640 Speaker 1: like it or not, I do think the public sector 887 00:49:05,719 --> 00:49:09,319 Speaker 1: is going to have to be the prime mover in 888 00:49:09,360 --> 00:49:12,319 Speaker 1: addressing some of the problems we're sitting around us right now. Yeah, 889 00:49:12,360 --> 00:49:15,239 Speaker 1: I don't disagree, and I think especially look, it's really 890 00:49:15,280 --> 00:49:19,760 Speaker 1: also about priorities and investment. Right we have the money. 891 00:49:20,040 --> 00:49:23,879 Speaker 1: We have the largest fiscal budget on Earth. We are 892 00:49:24,080 --> 00:49:28,200 Speaker 1: so much money. People don't know where the money goes. 893 00:49:28,320 --> 00:49:31,560 Speaker 1: The Pentagon, you know, spends two billion dollars a day. 894 00:49:31,600 --> 00:49:34,720 Speaker 1: It's like, we have the money, Sophia. It's so fun 895 00:49:34,800 --> 00:49:36,600 Speaker 1: because when I was running for president, that was the 896 00:49:36,640 --> 00:49:38,399 Speaker 1: number one question I got, was like, where we're gonna 897 00:49:38,400 --> 00:49:40,560 Speaker 1: get the money? We haven't then and then, and I 898 00:49:40,600 --> 00:49:42,840 Speaker 1: always had made the argument. I was like, look, we 899 00:49:42,880 --> 00:49:44,799 Speaker 1: gave four trillion to Wall Street when they needed it, 900 00:49:44,880 --> 00:49:48,680 Speaker 1: like you know, uh, and now with COVID, you know, 901 00:49:48,800 --> 00:49:54,480 Speaker 1: we we've frankly passed another four trillion dollars, which I love, fantastic, 902 00:49:54,680 --> 00:49:56,960 Speaker 1: but we clearly have it. But we clearly, had it 903 00:49:57,040 --> 00:49:59,440 Speaker 1: the whole time, we could have been doing something with 904 00:49:59,480 --> 00:50:02,960 Speaker 1: this fortune dollars. Even in the absence of of this pandemic, 905 00:50:03,120 --> 00:50:05,680 Speaker 1: we could be helping people the whole time. Um, you 906 00:50:05,719 --> 00:50:08,560 Speaker 1: talk about the city, you talk about your family, you're 907 00:50:08,560 --> 00:50:11,279 Speaker 1: talking about the way that Evelyn has embraced activism and 908 00:50:11,360 --> 00:50:14,839 Speaker 1: social change, and we're talking about the many causes that 909 00:50:14,880 --> 00:50:20,040 Speaker 1: we have been allied on. This is an incredibly profound 910 00:50:20,800 --> 00:50:27,480 Speaker 1: and difficult moment for the Asian American community, and in 911 00:50:27,600 --> 00:50:32,200 Speaker 1: terms of how we all can show up, one of 912 00:50:32,200 --> 00:50:35,560 Speaker 1: the things that's been really well illuminated in conversations I've 913 00:50:35,560 --> 00:50:37,720 Speaker 1: been lucky enough to have in our group of friends 914 00:50:37,760 --> 00:50:42,000 Speaker 1: is the fact that there has always been a lot 915 00:50:42,040 --> 00:50:45,440 Speaker 1: of mistreatment of the A p I community here, and 916 00:50:45,520 --> 00:50:48,200 Speaker 1: there has been a bit of a turning the other 917 00:50:48,280 --> 00:50:51,440 Speaker 1: cheek to it because of this model minority myth. And 918 00:50:51,480 --> 00:50:55,640 Speaker 1: as we're seeing this moment where clearly our neighbors and 919 00:50:55,719 --> 00:50:59,080 Speaker 1: friends need us to stand up for and with them, 920 00:50:59,120 --> 00:51:03,719 Speaker 1: I'm curious, what do you, as a not only as 921 00:51:03,760 --> 00:51:06,160 Speaker 1: a candidate and an activist, but also as a dad, 922 00:51:06,600 --> 00:51:09,799 Speaker 1: what do you want to ask people to do to 923 00:51:09,920 --> 00:51:12,440 Speaker 1: support you right now? To support your family right now, 924 00:51:12,480 --> 00:51:17,640 Speaker 1: in your community right now. I think the heartbreaking increase 925 00:51:17,920 --> 00:51:22,560 Speaker 1: in violence against Asian Americans really culminates in this sense 926 00:51:22,600 --> 00:51:26,799 Speaker 1: of dehumanization and alienation. Like the man who beat the 927 00:51:26,920 --> 00:51:31,520 Speaker 1: elderly Asian woman in my neighborhood said you don't belong here, uh, 928 00:51:31,560 --> 00:51:36,200 Speaker 1: you know, precipitating his attack, and those words really hurt 929 00:51:36,280 --> 00:51:39,920 Speaker 1: Asian Americans because there's been this sense really ever since 930 00:51:40,040 --> 00:51:43,120 Speaker 1: any of us can remember that are belonging here is 931 00:51:44,120 --> 00:51:48,439 Speaker 1: in doubt, and so to the extent that people want 932 00:51:48,440 --> 00:51:52,279 Speaker 1: to help, it's just expressing a degree of caring and 933 00:51:52,360 --> 00:51:57,120 Speaker 1: fellowship and shared humanity with Asian Americans and let let 934 00:51:57,280 --> 00:51:59,359 Speaker 1: them know, let us know that U c s as 935 00:51:59,520 --> 00:52:02,600 Speaker 1: human being as Americans, as people who belong here as 936 00:52:02,680 --> 00:52:06,200 Speaker 1: much as anyone else, and reaching out to two people 937 00:52:06,239 --> 00:52:08,839 Speaker 1: maybe that you wouldn't reach out to ordinarily. I will 938 00:52:08,880 --> 00:52:13,279 Speaker 1: say on this podcast that the hashtag that's being used 939 00:52:13,320 --> 00:52:17,239 Speaker 1: online is stop Asian Hate, which is not hashtag I love, 940 00:52:17,280 --> 00:52:19,440 Speaker 1: though I have used it because it seems like it's 941 00:52:19,480 --> 00:52:22,719 Speaker 1: the main one, But like I was trying to come 942 00:52:22,760 --> 00:52:24,840 Speaker 1: up with a better alternative, because that's you know, you 943 00:52:24,880 --> 00:52:27,920 Speaker 1: can't complain about something if you if you can't approve 944 00:52:28,000 --> 00:52:31,239 Speaker 1: on it. Um So, I was thinking about no more 945 00:52:31,320 --> 00:52:34,240 Speaker 1: hate or and this one was a little bit tongue 946 00:52:34,400 --> 00:52:36,200 Speaker 1: in cheek, but I was like, what, you know, it's 947 00:52:36,200 --> 00:52:40,200 Speaker 1: not stop Asian hate. It's more like like show Asians 948 00:52:40,239 --> 00:52:43,960 Speaker 1: love or something like that. Like that, but that that 949 00:52:44,000 --> 00:52:46,400 Speaker 1: would be my ask for people who want to help 950 00:52:46,520 --> 00:52:50,120 Speaker 1: is just to show people love, you know, show Asians love, 951 00:52:50,160 --> 00:52:54,279 Speaker 1: show people that you care. Yeah, it feels like such 952 00:52:54,320 --> 00:52:59,520 Speaker 1: an immensely important time for us to all be standing 953 00:52:59,520 --> 00:53:03,600 Speaker 1: in solid theority. I've been so moved by so much 954 00:53:03,600 --> 00:53:06,600 Speaker 1: of the action that I've seen other communities who experience 955 00:53:07,120 --> 00:53:09,960 Speaker 1: oppression taking to stand in solidarity. That young man in 956 00:53:09,960 --> 00:53:13,279 Speaker 1: New York City who started the campaign to have you know, 957 00:53:13,400 --> 00:53:15,919 Speaker 1: young black and brown men and anyone else who wanted 958 00:53:15,960 --> 00:53:20,200 Speaker 1: to volunteer walk elderly Asian Americans home. I was like, 959 00:53:20,360 --> 00:53:22,719 Speaker 1: this beautiful, this is our community, you know. And that's 960 00:53:22,719 --> 00:53:24,920 Speaker 1: one of the things I will say I love so 961 00:53:25,040 --> 00:53:29,680 Speaker 1: much about New York. I know we're out of time. 962 00:53:29,840 --> 00:53:33,200 Speaker 1: I have so enjoyed speaking to you today. I'm excited 963 00:53:33,239 --> 00:53:36,239 Speaker 1: to see what happens with the run. In parting, would 964 00:53:36,280 --> 00:53:38,440 Speaker 1: you tell our audience their very favorite thing to know, 965 00:53:38,520 --> 00:53:40,360 Speaker 1: which is what in your life is a work in 966 00:53:40,400 --> 00:53:46,160 Speaker 1: progress right now? Wow. I think that my ability to 967 00:53:46,440 --> 00:53:50,759 Speaker 1: manage being a good dad with running from mayor is 968 00:53:50,760 --> 00:53:53,480 Speaker 1: a work in progress. It's something that I work at 969 00:53:53,520 --> 00:53:56,400 Speaker 1: every day. So I'm so glad to be your friend, 970 00:53:56,719 --> 00:54:00,640 Speaker 1: uh and your fellow traveler in this There's a lot 971 00:54:00,640 --> 00:54:02,960 Speaker 1: of there's a lot of need and struggle out there, 972 00:54:03,040 --> 00:54:06,080 Speaker 1: but talking to you is is genuinely uplifting. Thank you 973 00:54:06,239 --> 00:54:08,439 Speaker 1: for me to my friend. Thank you so much. Every 974 00:54:08,440 --> 00:54:10,320 Speaker 1: time we talk. I'm like, we're going to do really 975 00:54:10,360 --> 00:54:12,840 Speaker 1: good things. We're gonna do really good things. Yeah, and 976 00:54:12,840 --> 00:54:14,640 Speaker 1: we're gonna get New York City back on its feet. 977 00:54:14,719 --> 00:54:16,480 Speaker 1: Let's go New York City, Sophie. I gotta get you 978 00:54:16,480 --> 00:54:18,440 Speaker 1: out here. You gotta visit us. I can't wait to 979 00:54:18,480 --> 00:54:21,400 Speaker 1: come home. I'll see you very soon. I hope. I 980 00:54:21,480 --> 00:54:25,239 Speaker 1: love it. Come home indeed. By everyone. Bye, Andrew, Thank you,