UNDECIDED VOTERS MET ANDREW YANG AT THE AIRPORT DINER, TH DISCUSSION QUICKLY TURNED TO TECHNOLOGY.
THERE’S AN ALMOST FUTURISTIC FEEL AROUND ANDREW YANG.
ONE OF HIS FIRST CAFÉ QUESTIONS WAS ABOUT BRINGING MORE TECHNOLOGY INTO THE RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE.
>> SO, YOU WERE THINKING ABOUT USING 3-D HOLOGRAMS.
A VERY HUNGRY HOLOGRAM.
[LAUGHTER] ADAM: THE SON OF IMMIGRANTS WHO ACHIEVED THE AMERICAN DREAM, YANG SAYS HIS PARENTS ARE HIS HEROES.
MR. YANG: MY FATHER GREW UP ON A PEANUT FARM IN ASIA WITH NO FLOOR.
WHEN I VISITED HIS CHILDHOOD HOME, I WAS LIKE, "NO WAY!" LOOKING AROUND THIS FARMING VILLAGE, AND I WAS LIKE, "HOW DID YOU GO FROM HERE TO" -- SO THEN MY FATHER ENDED UP GETTIN
HIS PHD IN PHYSICS FROM BERKELEY, WHERE HE MET MY MOM.
>> WHAT’S YOUR DAD’S PHD IN?
OH, NO EVERYONE’S DAD HAS A PHD, I LEARNED ABOUT WERE -- THE HARD WAY THAT IS NOT TRUE.
ADAM: YANG’S PARENTS WORKED HARD TO SEND HIM TO ONE OF THE BEST SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY, PHILLIPS EXETER ACADEMY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
HE DIDN’T EXACTLY ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE AND ADMITTED AS MUCH WHEN HE GAVE A SPEECH TO STUDENTS THERE.
EARLIER THIS YEAR.
MR. YANG: AND THEN THE STUDENT BODY ERUPTED INTO APPLAUSE.
AND I WAS LIKE, WHOA, THAT IS NOT THE REACTION I WAS GOING FOR.
[LAUGHTER] MR. YANG: SO, I SPENT A LOT OF TIME HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
I CAME OF AGE HERE.
I WENT TO COLLEGE AT BROWN, WHICH IS NOT THAT FAR AWAY.
I GREW UP IN UPSTATE NEW YORK, SO I CONSIDER MYSELF A NEW ENGLAND PRODUCT.
ADAM: FOR THE YOUNGER YANG, ONE ESCAPE WAS MUSIC AND ATTENDING CONCERTS MR. YANG: HOW MANY OF YOU SAW THE VIDEO OF ME CROWDSURFING THAT WENT OUT A MONTH OR SO AGO?
HERE’S THE THING -- IT WAS NOT MY FIRST TIME CROWDSURFING.
BECAUSE WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER, I WOULD GO TO THESE CONCERTS, AND THEN SOMETIMES I WOULD END UP ON TOP OF THE CROWD.
I REMEMBER I GRABBED MORRISSEY’S WRIST AT ONE CONCERT.
I DO NOT KNOW IF YOU GUYS KNOW WHO MORRISSEY IS.
SO THAT WAS A CROWDSURFING EXPERIENCE.
>> DID YOU WASH YOUR HAND?
MR. YANG: I WASHED IT LATER THAT NIGHT.
[LAUGHTER] MR. YANG: PROBABLY MY FAVORITE CONCERT WAS U2 IN SARATO SPRINGS.
I SAW THEM DURING THE, UM, IT WAS THE UM, ZOOROPA TOUR, I BELIEVE?
IT WAS, LIKE, IN THE 1990’S.
I SAW MOST OF THE 1990’S CANON.
SO THIS IS MY CANON, SO YOU CAN JUDGE, WHATEVER, IT IS FINE -- U2, THE CURE, DEPECHE MODE -- I WENT TO THE FIRST THREE LOLLAPALOOZAS, SO I SAW ALL OF THAT STUFF.
>> NICE.
MR. YANG: YEAH, SO I WENT TO CONCERTS A LOT.
ADAM: HE WAS ALSO A SPEECH AND DEBATE CHAMPION AND COMPETED OVERSEAS FOR THE U.S. NATIONAL TEAM IN GREAT BRITAIN.
MR. YANG: BUT I WAS NOT PAIRED UP WITH ANOTHER AMERICAN.
WHAT HAPPENED IS YOU GET DIVIDED UP, SO I BELIEVE IT WAS ME ANDR A CANADIAN DEBATER AGAINST TWO BRITISH DEBATERS, AND WE WERE GIVEN A GOVERNMENT POLICY PROPOSAL, IT MAY HAVE BEEN THE
LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES.
WE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO PREPARE.
IT WAS A SEQUENCE, A PERSON FOR IT AND THEN ANTI-.
I REMEMBER VIVIDLY ONE TIME WHERE MY PARTNER IN DEBATE WAS SITTING HERE WITH, LIKE, A BIG SMILE ON HIS FACE, HE HAD THAT LOOK ON HIS FACE.
[LAUGHTER] MR. YANG: AND I DID NOT KNOW IT AT THE TIME, BUT I HAD A VISIBLE REACTION AT ONE POINT, AND THE OPPONENT WAS LIKE, "THAT IS NOT RIGHT."
IT WAS IS THE SMILE.
I WAS LIKE, "WOW.
I GUESS THAT’S THE CANADIAN WAY." ADAM: AFTER GRADUATING FROM LAW SCHOOL, YANG BECAME AN ATTORNEY BUT QUICKLY SOURED ON THE PROFESSION.
MR. YANG: THERE WAS ALSO A SENSE THAT I WAS DOCUMENTING OTHER PEOPLES’ ACCOMPLISHMENTS OR IDEAS.
THAN I THOUGHT, WELL, SHOULDN’T I HAVE MY OWN ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND IDEAS OTHER THAN DOCUMENTING OTHER PEOPLES’ ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND IDEAS?
AND I WAS YOUNG.
IF I DO NOT TAKE A RISK NOW, WILL I BE MORE OR LESS LIKELY TO TAKE A RISK LATER?
I WILL BE LESS LIKELY.
I WILL PROBABLY HAVE A FAMILY APPEARED IF I AM YOUNG AND DUMB NOW, I SHOULD PROBABLY TAKE A RISK NOW.
AND THEN MY COMPANY FLOPPED, SO I AM REALLY GLAD THAT IT HAPPENED WHEN I DID NOT HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF RESPONSIBILITIES.
IT WAS JUST ME BEING SAD.
ADAM: YANG DOESN’T DWELL.
AND NEITHER DID THE VOTERS AT THE DINER, SUBJECTING HIM TO A LIGHTNING ROUND OF QUESTIONS.
>> DECAF OR REGULAR?
MR. YANG: DECAF.
>> WAFFLES OR PANCAKES.
MR. YANG: PANCAKES.
>> LOBSTER ROLL?
MR. YANG: ROLL.
BECAUSE I AM EFFICIENT.
[LAUGHTER] >> HOW ABOUT NEW ENGLAND LAKE VACATION OR NEW ENGLAND BEACH VACATION?
MR. YANG: BEACH.
>> NETFLIX OR HULU?
MR. YANG: NETFLIX.
IT COULD BE A TIMEOUT.
NETFLIX HAS BECOME DISAPPOINTING TO ME.
NOW, I’M LIKE, "WHAT IS THIS CRAP?" [LAUGHTER] ADAM: YANG REFERS TO HIS WIFE AS A SUPERHERO.
TOGETHER THEY HAVE TWO SONS, ONE LIVES WITH AUTISM.
MR. YANG: THERE ARE CERTAIN PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES HE LIKES.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS TOUGH AS THE DATA IS THERE WAS AN EXTENDED PERIOD WHEN HE RAN, HE WOULD FALL --- AS A DAD, THERE WAS AN EXTENDED PERIOD WHEN HE RAN, HE WOULD FALL.
I WOULD KEEP THEM ON, LIKE, A SOFTER SURFACE, BECAUSE IF HE IS RUNNING ON BLACKTOP AND FALLS, HE ENDS UP HURTING HIMSELF.
BUT NOW THERE IS SOME PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAT HE LIKES TO DO, SO THAT WE PLAY CATCH, AND I KNOW THAT HE LIKES TO SWIM, SO WE TAKE HIM SWIMMING WHENEVER WE CAN.
AND HE DOES ASK ME A LOT OF QUESTIONS, AND YOU CAN TELL HE IS PROCESSING ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS.
QUESTIONS ARE ALL OVER THE MAP COME OUT OF LEFT FIELD -- WHAT IF HE ASKED ME THE OTHER DAY?
WHAT IS AN ECOSYSTEM?
AND I HAD TO SIT THERE AND BE LIKE, AN ECOSYSTEM IS ASHEN LIGHT [LAUGHTER] -- IS -- [LAUGHTER] MR. YANG: AND IN HIS FINAL
QUESTION WAS, "CAN SOMETHING BE IN AN ECOSYSTEM THAT IS NOT ALIVE," AND I SAID IF YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT A BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM, THEN YEAH.
MY SON IS VERY SPIKY.
LIKE, HE HAS REAL, YEAH, LIKE -- I HAVE A FEELING -- AND WE SAW THIS A LITTLE BIT WITH THE TEEN WHO IS A CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVIST, BUT I FEEL LIKE HE JUST SEES THE WORLD IN A
DIFFERENT WAY.
AND ONE OF THE MESSAGES I HAVE IN THE CAMPAIGN IS THAT BEING ATYPICAL IS THE NEW NORMAL.
ADAM: YANG IS KNOWN FOR NOT WEARING A TIE ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, BUT WHILE HIS LOOK IS RELAXED, HIS HAIR ACTUALLY REQUIRES A LOT OF WORK.
MR. YANG: LIKE, I HAVE THIS VERY STUBBORN COWLICK IN THE BACK.
THAT I DO A BAD JOB TAMING.
IT WAS ACTUALLY THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER.
SO EVEN NOW -- [LAUGHTER] >> [NO AUDIO] -- >> [INDISCERNIBLE]