YouSaid · the spoken record

Andrew Yang

lines on the record: 87
first: 2019-12-05
most recent: 2019-12-05
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“I got to bring my wife to meet the president. My in laws were really excited about me for about a week. And I learned a lot during the seven years of starting and running Venture for America. I saw this incredible idealism and energy and action as we helped create these several thousand jobs. But I also had this sinking feeling that our work was like pouring water into a bathtub that had a giant hole ripped in the bottom because many of these communities were losing many more jobs than they were creating at a scale that was staggering to me. Where if you fly between St. Louis and San Francisco or Michigan and Manhattan, you felt like you were traversing decades or dimensions or ways of life and not just a few time zones. And this is what gave me the perspective to run for president after Donald Trump won in 2016 because it was clear to me that the reason why he won was that we'd blasted away 4 million manufacturing jobs in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Wisconsin.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“We've helped create about 3,000 new jobs in 15 cities over the last seven years. Our mutual friend Barack Obama honored me at the White House”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“So, how the heck did that happen? You didn't dream, you didn't come here with these dreams, but these dreams are pushed upon you because the market now dominates our society to that extent. And to me, if the market dominated where our talent and energy was going, we were going to destroy ourselves. So I thought, well, let's try and find a more positive path for our young people who want to do something good. And I'm very proud of the work that Venture of America continues to do.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Do you love America? The smart among them said, What does it mean if I say yes to this question? And then I said at least $10,000. And then 12 of them said, I love America for 10,000. It's like, I thought you did. But I started Venture of America in part as a response to the forces that you all are experiencing here at the University of Chicago. When you showed up here day one, you had no idea what management consulting was. Now you can actually differentiate between firms. You're like, I'm more of a Bane person myself.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“So 2009, the financial crisis unfolds, and I look up and say, I think I know partially why this happened. Because a lot of the smart people I went to Exeter and Brown in Columbia with went to Wall Street and helped devise the mortgage-backed securities and the exotic financial instruments that helped crash the economy. And so you think, okay, what a train wreck that is. What's the purpose of trying to produce these talented people if they're going to do something that destructive? So I thought, well, what would you want people's energies to be devoted to if you could draw it up? And I thought I would love to see young people head to cities like Detroit or Cleveland or Baltimore or St. Louis or Birmingham or New Orleans and help grow businesses or even start businesses. So I quit my job. I donated some money to start a nonprofit venture for America. And I called rich friends with this question.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“This is going to be germane to the students here in the room. If you go to a school like the University of Chicago, there's an 80% chance you're going to do one of six things in six places. And you know what they are? Finance, consulting, law, tech, academia, or medicine in Chicago, New York, Seattle, LA, San Francisco, or DC.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“So, people here didn't applaud because you were like, I was studied really hard for that test And I'm sure you all did very well because this is the University of Chicago. Yes. But we can do better to figure out what people are worth.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I couldn't agree more We originated the SAT during World War II as a means to identify which kids we did not want to send to the front lines. Think about that. And now we use it every year as a sorting mechanism, like every year is wartime. And it's deforming our classrooms. It's making our teachers teach in certain ways that they know are not in the best interests of our students. They do not measure human worth or character in any way. They more likely correspond to the socioeconomic status of your parents and a couple of other qualities. So we should de-emphasize these standardized tests at every level and evaluate people much more holistically.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“What happened was I had a birthday party, and all these people I didn't know showed up and they drank a lot. And so I said, maybe I can do something with this. So then I did it again the next month. And once again, a lot of people I didn't know showed up and drank a lot.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“It certainly wasn't part of some grand plan. So my company dies, I'm looking around. A friend of mine has started this test prep company, Manhattan Prep, and asked me to join as the first instructor and help write the curriculum. So I did these things, but I did them as a side gig in addition to working at this healthcare technology startup because I'd been so devastated by the failure of my company that I thought, well, my next company could fail too, so I should have some kind of side hustle. So teaching the GMAT was one side hustle and then throwing parties at nightclubs was the third side hustle.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“So it was a tough time, but I thought, well, I need to try and get better at this, and how do I do that? So I worked for a more experienced entrepreneur as his lieutenant for four years. And then during not just some experience, but also my confidence grew because I saw what I didn't know the first time.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I learned that building something is very, very hard. It takes more time and Capital and know how and wherewithal and relationships than I had at that point. But I was also invigorated by the process where trying to build something you cared about was essentially the polar opposite of sitting in a law firm cubicle working on someone else's deal documents. And so even with the failure and the hurt I vividly remember lying on the floor looking up at the ceiling being like, you know, I can't believe it's come to this. I still owed $100,000 in law school loans. I used to call my debt load my mistress because I was like supporting her family in another town. I was like, I hope Sally May is having a good life over in...”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“With great difficulty, David. So one of the comments I made on the debate stage was the secret to entrepreneurship is this. Tell everyone you know you're going to do something because then you have no choice but to do it. Because anytime you talk to them, they'll be like, hey, what about that thing you were starting? And you're like, oh yeah, I'm about to do that. So then when you fail, it's 100% public because everyone you know knew you were trying to build this company and you asked all of them for help. And then when it goes to put and you lose people, their investment, it's devastating. It was very, very hard for me.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Exactly, because if you're a celebrity, you donate a meet and greet at a fundraising event, you'll generate a certain amount of money. So the idea was, well, you can generate a lot more money if you take that online. So that's what I left the firm to do. Of course, none of this worked out.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“The internet had just arrived, and so I left to co found a company called StarGiving.com that did fundraising campaigns for celebrity-affiliated nonprofits. It was super wholesome. It was like a marriage between freerice.com. I don't know if any of you remember that if that still exists, and celebrity-affiliated giving. And so that's what I meant by making something of myself. I thought, wow, if I could solve a really big problem and channel millions of dollars to non-profits, I should definitely do that.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“So I worked for a big corporate law firm doing M&A transactions. And I saw, I was like, am I going to spend my 20s trying to think of the worst things that could happen to build them into long contracts? Or am I going to try and get out there and do something? And I thought to myself, I'm in my 20s, it's not going to get any easier to take a risk. I should try and leave to make something of myself. So I left the firm after five months, in part because I saw my brain was rewiring to become a better corporate attorney. And so there were two things I thought. One, I don't want to do this job forever. And two, it's going to get harder to leave not easier. And so I thought, well, if these two things are true, I should leave immediately. So I left very quickly.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“We were driving around being cool, and then I was about to get stranded at home when my brother took off to college. So I was like, this is not a good look. So I asked my parents. I'll still remember my mom's reaction. I remember I come back from CTY, go to my mom, and say, hey, mom, what do you think about my going away to a boarding school called Exeter? And she almost jumped for joy. I was like, holy cow. Looking for ways to ship me off without me knowing it. So she got so excited. And then I was like, wow, I thought that was going to be a different conversation. And so I spent the last two years of high school in New Hampshire.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, they had me take the SATs when I was very young. And I did well enough to qualify for the summer program, so I was at the summer program. And a friend of mine there went to Exeter and said, I go to Exeter, I like it. I was like, what is this Exeter you speak of? And then I found out a little bit more about it. And a lot of it was that I was somewhere competitive with my brother who was going away to college. He's two years older. And so I thought, well, my brother”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Not at all. So I went to NerdCamp in the summers run by Johns Hopkins University. It's called the CTY. And there are some CT wires here”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“So here's the evolution like nerdy Asian kid growing up in the 80s and 90s. So, what did I listen to the cure, Depeche mode, the Smiths? And so I got all angsty and broody and was like, oh, life is so hard. I'm so deep. That sort of thing. So those are the bands I was into, and I grabbed Morrissey's wrist once at a concert. My first time crowdsurfing was not just a couple months ago, it's put that way. I crowdsurfed when I was a teenager.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“It's exacerbated it a great deal. And one of the pioneers of the internet, Jaron Lanier, said that negative sentiment spreads much more quickly and powerfully on the Internet and social media than positive sentiment. And this outrage culture is a symptom of that”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I believe we have become unduly punitive and in some cases even vindictive and someone put it to me like this where if someone makes a misstatement and then we respond with outrage and they lose their job a week later most of us have forgotten about it we're not outraged anymore but the person still lost their job like the consequences don't necessarily match up to the error, particularly when we're all human we all make mistakes. We should respond with a higher degree of grace and forgiveness when someone else evinces their own humanity.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think Americans recognize a joke when they hear it. I also think that these stereotypes seem more ridiculous when you drag them into the light. I'm very, very proud of being the first Asian American man to run for president as a Democrat, and I think many people are... Those in the podcast, it's some non-Asians clapping too.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“You'd call it bullying now, I believe. I think Yeah, I was called racial epithets semi regularly and I Gotten to a number of fights, which I generally lost”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, it certainly felt like there were a lot of disadvantages at the time. I had skipped a grade, so I was extra scrawny braces. They hadn't invented thin glasses yet, so I had the big thick ones.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“When I was old enough to figure out what a patent was, I went to my dad and was like, How much money do you get when you generate a patent? And I was expecting it to be Boku bucks. And then he said, $250 or so. And I was like, that's not that much. And then he said, but I also get a salary so I can feed house and clothe you and your brother. And then I said, oh, I understand how this works. So, yeah, I think it was a massive value add for the country and a value add for my family, obviously. To me, one of the most important ingredients of U.S. competitiveness moving forward is whether we continue to serve as a magnet for people around the world to say this is where I want to get my education and also build a life, a career, and a business. If we lose that battle, we're going to lose big time.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“My father grew up on a peanut farm with no floor, and when I saw it as a teenager, I was like, no way you grew up here. That's nuts. He got there through education. He did well at National Taiwan University and then did well enough to get his PhD in physics from Berkeley. But it just demonstrated the power of the Climb in one generation if you have the right qualities.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“My parents met as graduate students at UC Berkeley. My brother is named after the Lawrence Observatory, so we used to joke that my parents must have had a good time with the observatory I was born in a town called Schennected, New York. My father A physicist who generated 69 US patents for GE and IBM. So I grew up a very nerdy Asian kid who was just trying to do well in school, child of immigrants. And so you have this sense that you have to find your place through hard work.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, I think most Americans agree on the basic facts, they're very believable, they're very well substantiated, and so that isn't what the disagreement's about fundamentally.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“It is unfortunate, and again, it's not the norm for the party of the president who's going through impeachment to not want to know what happened. Ordinarily you would be in fact finding mode, you'd say, okay, let's discover what these allegations are about and whether there's truth in them, but that does not seem to be the Republican approach.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think Americans are tired of Particular narrative, and they're more interested in what's happening in their own homes and communities and with their families when they meet me, they want to know how I'm going to help improve their way of life. Which is the way it should be. That should be what we're talking about.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Talk to voters Just about every single day, thousands of conversations. I cannot recall a single question about impeachment. I've gotten questions about everything else under the sun, healthcare, climate change, education, but never an impeachment question.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Unfortunately, it increases polarization because if impeachments are unsuccessful, You can already see Donald Trump crowing about it. You can see him saying totally exonerated, it was a witch hunt just like I said all along. And the people that support Donald Trump will be like, I knew it. This was all a giant distraction and waste. And then other people will say I knew it. The Republicans put party before country. So the result, unfortunately, is likely to be increased polarization and it's going to be all the harder to bring the country together.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“And that is exactly what Talking about because the media oxygen is all flowing through Congress and impeachment right now. And so if there are people in the field, they're going to be asked about impeachment very consistently. And that's a missed opportunity to, again, create a new way forward for the country.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“We have to take every opportunity to make our case for a more positive vision for the country that Americans can get excited about. That's how we're going to beat him in 2020, and that's how we move the country forward after he's gone.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“It is historic Moving forward with impeachment proceedings is the right thing. Do you want to say that we should not have any illusions about the most likely outcome unless approximately two dozen Republican senators change their minds when it goes to trial in the Senate? Right now, unfortunately, there have been no Republicans that have seemed like they were in fact finding mode. They're more in obstructionist and defend the president mode. To me, the biggest drawback of impeachment is that Donald Trump is a creature who thrives on attention, an impeachment is attention, even if it seems like it's bad for him, he's winning.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Have to say Andrew Yang is something of a phenomenon in this 2020 campaign, a social entrepreneur not widely known two years ago. He improbably leaped into the race and has built a following across the country largely of young people but not exclusive to them, the Yang Gang, as they call themselves. And who would have thought that Yang would outlast names like Kamala Harris and others who have run and left the race already as he continues on his views on automation and what we should do in response to the changes in our economy have made him a unique voice in this race as he demonstrated in this conversation we had earlier today, before an audience at the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago.”
2019-12-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 359 – Andrew Yang · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source