There’s a bit of a back story behind today’s TED
Talk, in which Nick Hanauer issues a powerful warning to his fellow zillionaire
‘plutocrats’ that it’s time to take the inequality issue seriously, and makes
the case to dramatically raise the minimum wage. Some of you may remember that
two years ago there was an online spat between Nick and TED over a prior talk
of his, also about inequality. We liked the talk, and agreed with its
sentiments, but saw a few key problems with it that kept us from posting it on
our home page (though we did post it on YouTube.) We were accused of censoring
him, and the row generated an extraordinary level of heat.
Roll the clock forward two years, and worries about
growing economic inequality have only increased. Nick has become a leading
voice on the topic. He wrote a widely circulated article for Politico and is
credited as a key force behind Seattle’s decision to adopt a $15 minimum wage.
He and I ran into each other last month and discovered that we’re both really
bad at holding grudges. So I invited him to come and give a new, longer talk on
inequality at our office theater, reflecting his latest thinking. That happened
last week (right after we ceremonially buried the hatchet .. see the pic
below!). The talk was terrific: honest, surprising and important. I’m proud to
be posting it today.
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