Why Andrew Yang is building instead of waiting for Washington
Quick Answer
Andrew Yang, once warning about automation's impact on jobs, is now actively building solutions rather than waiting for government action.
Quick Take
His views on Universal Basic Income are gaining traction among influential figures like Dario Amodei and Bernie Sanders, reflecting a growing consensus on addressing wealth concentration due to AI advancements.
Key Points
- Yang's 2020 campaign highlighted automation's threat to the labor market.
- Influential figures now echo Yang's ideas on Universal Basic Income.
- Automation is increasingly recognized as a driver of wealth concentration.
- Yang is focusing on entrepreneurial solutions rather than political waiting.
- The conversation around AI's impact on jobs is gaining momentum.
📖 Reader Mode
~2 min readAndrew Yang’s 2020 presidential campaign was based on a warning that automation and AI would hollow out the labor market and concentrate wealth in the hands of a few. At the time, ideas like Universal Basic Income felt fringe. Now Dario Amodei, Sam Altman, and Bernie Sanders are all saying versions of the same thing.
An entrepreneur at heart, Yang has found a new way to put money back into the hands of the people — one phone bill at a time. On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan talks to Yang about his startup Noble Mobile, which pays you to use your phone less, ways to combat the “attention economy,” and what startups can do when the government won’t move.
Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.
Topics
Theresa Loconsolo is an audio producer at TechCrunch focusing on Equity, the network’s flagship podcast. Before joining TechCrunch in 2022, she was one of 2 producers at a four-station conglomerate where she wrote, recorded, voiced and edited content, and engineered live performances and interviews from guests like lovelytheband. Theresa is based in New Jersey and holds a bachelors degree in Communication from Monmouth University.
You can contact or verify outreach from Theresa by emailing theresa.loconsolo@techcrunch.com.
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