Meet Andrew Yang: Who Could Become The First Asian-American President

Andrew Yang has done it all from being a lawyer to becoming an entrepreneur, CEO, and writer. Now he has his sights set on the 2020 Presidential election.

Andrew will be the first Asian-American man running for president as a Democrat (Bobby Jindal ran as a Republic a few years ago).

He will be running with the slogan “Humanity First” and that simple slogan says a lot about Andrew. He has a strong stance on automation, capitalism, and universal basic income.

“Hey, it’s not your imagination that the economy is changing. We automated away 4 million manufacturing jobs in the Midwest, leading to Donald Trump’s election, and we’re about to do the same thing to retail workers, truck drivers, call center workers as well as accountants, insurance agents, and many other positions.”

— Andrew Yang

But what makes Andrew, well, Andrew? He originally became a lawyer after graduating from the prestigious Brown University and Columbia University. After working at a law firm for about a year, he decided to quit and follow his own passion, business. Andrew tried to create his own business but the timing was off and the business went bust.

However, he did not let that stop him. He continued towards his goal and worked for two tech-startups and learned more about business. Then, in his 30s, he ran an education company that eventually grew to become #1 in the country. He stayed with the company until 2011 when he helped to co-found Venture for America, a company that encourages recent graduates to work in startup companies.

Then he really started to become recognized for his achievements. He was named one of Fast Company‘s “100 Most Creative People in Business” and named a Presidential Ambassador of Global Entrepreneurship. Not only that but he was named a Champion of Change by the White House in 2011 for his work with Venture for America.

He is also an accomplished writer. He’s written numerous articles for Forbes magazine and has published two nonfiction books. He has even been featured in a documentary and been featured on the news a number of times.

But that isn’t all that defines who Andrew is. He is married and has two sons who he wants to give lots of opportunities to. He’s active in his community and wants to encourage young Asians. He is also overjoyed by how many people are receiving the news of his presidential bid and is often awestruck that he is taking the leap.

“I’m not running for President to be the first Asian-American man to do so. I’m running because I believe that I have something fundamental to contribute. I’m a father, my children will grow up here, and my country is spiraling into an abyss. I’m in a position where I may be able to help arrest our decline as a society. If I didn’t step up, I’d be failing my country and my own values.

But now that I’m here, I want to show what we’re capable of. That we have much more to offer. We can be more than the trusted accountant or doctor or lawyer. I want to show that we are as smart, imaginative, courageous, charismatic, and patriotic as any American of any background. We see things that others do not. We can be builders, risk-takers, visionaries, and leaders. If we give it our all and are willing to fight for it — we can even be President.“

— Andrew Yang