Notes from the Tour
I’m writing this on the plane, in true author fashion, on the way back cross country. It was wonderful seeing so many familiar faces and meeting new people on the book tour. Thank you to Rikki Schlott, Nancy Scola, Rainn Wilson, Kristen Sze, and Jon Sposato for agreeing to moderate convos. The LA event got postponed because I got caught in the blizzard. But I made it to SF and Seattle, which were very welcoming.
What were the takeaways of the “Hey Yang, Where’s My Thousand Bucks?” tour?
For one, I was generally surprised by the number of completely new faces. I kind of expected it to be a reunion tour, but it wasn’t. At each event, there were a few people who would say, “I finally get to meet you!” These were people who supported me back in 2020, but had never gotten a chance to say hello. One of them was abroad for several years, for example. So that was nice.
Some people came by who had already read the book and enjoyed it. That felt good.
I got a lot of questions about AI. It’s on everyone’s mind, rightfully so. I debated the topic, “Will AI make work obsolete?” for Open to Debate in Washington D.C. last week while on tour. I took the affirmative side. The recording will be out this weekend. I thought my side won.
As if on cue, Block on Thursday announced that they were laying off 4,000 of their 10,000 workers, the highest percentage of layoffs in the history of the Fortune 500. Jack Dorsey explicitly attributed it to AI and building smarter. Their stock jumped 20% immediately. Expect other companies to follow suit in the days ahead. The Fuckening is on and picking up steam.
Attendees were out on the two-party system and eager for an alternative. I made a stop in Richmond for a speaking event about the American political system that drew several thousand people. No one thinks the status quo is working. One person said, “I didn’t know what to expect. But you’ve made me hopeful again.”
The mood out there is generally not awesome and looking for something.
Some old friends came to one stop on the book tour who I hadn’t seen in 20 years. Have you had that experience lately? Maybe if you went to a high school or college reunion. They looked good, but also like… 20 years had passed. You know what I mean? My life has been remarkably constant for the past 20 years, which is coincidentally when Evelyn and I met.
Many people wanted me to run for President again. Obviously, this is among an incredibly self-selected group, but it was heartwarming. Apparently, my platform that AI was coming and we should give everyone money has aged well.
The tour definitely had a campaign-type vibe. I had a wonderful time on the road, and the book has been a welcome reason to get people together. We got requests for a lot of other stops, so stay tuned. And thanks again for coming out if you did! I feel terrible for families as we are about to shed hundreds of thousands of jobs as corporations follow Block’s lead. It’s either cut workers or your job will be on the chopping block soon, and we all know which one CEOs will choose.
You can pick up a copy of my new book “Hey Yang, Where’s My Thousand Bucks?” here with the code “UBIUBI” for 25% off or wherever books are sold. Go to noblemobile.com/yang for 3 months off your wireless bill, the best deal around that will also reduce your screen-time and help you save for your family. Go outside and look up.