Andrew Yang
Andrew Yang is an entrepreneur and author who ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination advocating universal basic income. He co-founded the Forward Party and is the founder and CEO of Noble Mobile.
Contents13 sections
Key facts
Education
Yang studied economics and political science at Brown UniversityBrown UniversityBrown University is a private nonprofit research university in Providence, Rhode Island, and a member of the Ivy League. Chartered by Rhode Island's colonial legislature in 1764, it is known for its undergraduate Open Curriculum, which has no common required core. Christina H. Paxson, president since July 2012, announced on August 3, 2026, that the 2026–27 academic year would be her last in office. As of October 1, 2026, the search for Brown's 20th president remained underway.Open the full entry, then attended Columbia Law School, where he was a law review editor.[1]
Law and Early Entrepreneurship
He worked as a lawyer at Davis Polk in 1999–2000, then co-founded Stargiving.com. He held executive roles at ManhattanGMAT, including CEO, in 2006–2011.[2]
Venture for America
He founded Venture for America in 2011 to place college graduates with startups in cities across the country. The organization ceased operations in 2024, citing funding conditions and fundraising difficulties.[3]
2018–2020Presidential Campaign
He announced his Democratic presidential bid in 2018 and suspended it on February 11, 2020, after the New Hampshire primary.[4]
His online supporters called themselves the Yang Gang.[5]
Universal Basic Income Proposal
His Freedom Dividend proposed $1,000 monthly for American adults over 18, regardless of employment status. He presented it as a policy response to disruption from automation.[6]
BBCBBCThe BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is the United Kingdom’s public broadcaster. Its predecessor was the British Broadcasting Company, formed in 1922, and since 1927 it has been established under a Royal Charter. It provides television, radio, and online services in the UK, is funded mainly by the television licence fee, and broadcasts worldwide in multiple languages through BBC World Service.Open the full entry Chinese reported that supporters emphasized income security, while critics questioned fiscal costs, inflation, and work incentives. These were arguments surrounding the proposal.[5]
2020Humanity Forward
In March 2020, he launched the nonprofit Humanity Forward to pursue his campaign ideas through pilot projects, support for aligned candidates, and voter engagement.[7]
2021New York City Mayoral Campaign
In 2021, he sought the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor and conceded on June 22. That October, he left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent.[4]
2021–2022Forward Party
He founded the Forward Party in 2021. In 2022, it merged with the Renew America Movement and Serve America Movement, with Yang and Christine Todd Whitman as co-chairs.[8]
He advocated open primaries and ranked-choice voting to change the institutional setting of two-party competition.[2]
AxiosAxiosAxios is a US digital news media company founded in 2016 by former Politico executives Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz and launched in January 2017. It is known for short news items and industry newsletters in the “Smart Brevity” style, especially for its Washington political coverage, and publishes local news newsletters in cities across the United States through Axios Local. Since 2022 it has been owned by Cox Enterprises.Open the full entry also reported concerns that Forward candidates in Minnesota could split the Democratic vote and affect close elections.[8]
Books
His books include Smart People Should Build Things, on entrepreneurship, and The War on Normal People, on automation and basic income.[9]
Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy appeared as an ebook in 2021 and discussed reforms including data rights and ranked-choice voting.[10]
In 2023, he and Stephen Marche published The Last Election, a political novel about a third-party campaign and a crisis in the electoral system.[11]
In 2026, Akashic Books published his story collection Hey Yang, Where’s My Thousand Bucks?, reflecting on entrepreneurship, campaigning, and public life.[12]
2025Noble Mobile
In September 2025, he announced Noble Mobile, offering rewards for unused data and encouraging less phone use. Claims about saving money and improving life were presented as the company’s aims.[13]
Announced Publishing Plans
As of October 2026, the publisher listed The End of Normal: A Human Survival Guide to the AI Jobpocalypse as forthcoming, scheduled for April 6, 2027.[14]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
Forward Party: Official website: https://forwardparty.com/ (opens in a new window)[1]
Noble Mobile: Official website: https://noblemobile.com/ (opens in a new window)[15]
Personal website and newsletter: Official website: https://blog.andrewyang.com/ (opens in a new window)[16]
Sources
- Andrew Yang - Founder (opens in a new window)
- Andrew Yang (opens in a new window)
- Venture for America, which bet on entrepreneurship to revitalize cities, has abruptly shut down (opens in a new window)
- Andrew Yang Fast Facts (opens in a new window)
- 杨安泽：首位美籍华裔总统是“痴人说梦”吗？ (opens in a new window)
- The Freedom Dividend (opens in a new window)
- Andrew Yang’s new non-profit is giving away $500,000 in free cash as a UBI experiment (opens in a new window)
- Yang announces new Forward party with other centrist groups (opens in a new window)
- Books (opens in a new window)
- Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy (opens in a new window)
- The Last Election (opens in a new window)
- Hey Yang, Where’s My Thousand Bucks? And Other True Stories of Staggering Depth (opens in a new window)
- Noble Mobile (opens in a new window)
- The End of Normal: A Human Survival Guide to the AI Jobpocalypse (opens in a new window)
- Noble Mobile – Get Paid to Use Your Phone Less | $50/month Unlimited 5G Plan (opens in a new window)
- About - Andrew Yang Newsletter (opens in a new window)