Andrew Yang

Timeline

1. 1975–1999

   Brown and Columbia Law

   Born in Schenectady, New York, in 1975 to parents who emigrated from Taiwan, he graduates from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1992. He earns a BA in economics and political science at Brown University in 1996 and a JD at Columbia Law School in 1999, where he is an editor of the Columbia Law Review.

2. 2000–2009

   Running Manhattan Prep

   After five months as a corporate attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell, he joins office mate Jonathan Philips in launching the celebrity fundraising site Stargiving in February 2000. He becomes CEO of the test-prep company Manhattan Prep in 2006, and Kaplan acquires it in December 2009.

3. 2011–2017

   Founding Venture for America

   He founds Venture for America in 2011, a nonprofit fellowship that trains entrepreneurs to start businesses in economically stressed cities. In 2015, he is named a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship, and he steps down as the group's CEO in March 2017.

4. 2017–2018

   The War on Normal People

   In November 2017, he files with the Federal Election Commission to run for president in 2020. His April 2018 book, The War on Normal People, argues that artificial intelligence, robotics and automation software are making millions of Americans' livelihoods irrelevant and makes the case for universal basic income.

5. 2020

   Campaigning on basic income

   His 2020 presidential campaign centers on a universal basic income of $1,000 a month for every American over 18, meant to offset job displacement by automation. He suspends the campaign in February 2020 after the New Hampshire primary and announces the nonprofit Humanity Forward Foundation in March 2020. In September 2020, the Vilcek Foundation awards him its 2021 Vilcek Prize for Excellence in Public Service.

6. 2021–2022

   Founding the Forward Party

   He concedes the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City in June 2021 after placing fourth in first-place votes. In October 2021, he leaves the Democratic Party and announces the Forward Party, which merges with the Serve America Movement and the Renew America Movement in July 2022.

7. December 2021

   The 80,000 Hours interview

   In December 2021, he talks with Rob Wiblin on The 80,000 Hours Podcast about AI replacing whole industries, fears about advanced AI, and whether to invest far more to prevent low-probability risks. He agrees that society underinvests in preparing for such tail risks, an argument he says he made on the presidential trail.

8. Since 2025

   Noble Mobile and an AI tax

   He founds Noble Mobile, a wireless carrier on T-Mobile's network that rewards customers for using less data, and it launches in September 2025 with a $10.3 million seed round led by Corazon Capital. In February 2026, he warns that millions of white-collar workers will lose their jobs to AI within 12 to 18 months, and in August 2026 he calls on the government to tax AI. He is Noble Mobile's CEO and a co-founder of the Forward Party.