Confronting Racism with Radical Empathy — Guy Kawasaki

I have been following Guy Kawasaki for a while…I first met him when I was the provost at Menlo College and he was mentoring one of our star students. He also happens to hang out near where I live in Silicon Valley, so we chatted once at my favorite coffee shop in Menlo Park. I’ve seen him speak at a couple of events, and I’ve always been intrigued with his story, starting out at Apple as a product evangelist in the early days of the Mac.

When I became an entrepreneur, Guy’s book, The Art of the Start, was one of the first I turned to, so I was thrilled when my friend, Elisa Camahort Page, recommended me to Guy as a potential podcast guest. I read Guy’s recent book, Remarkable People, and his personal story resonated with me. Growing up in a low-income community in Hawaii and then going to Stanford (he graduated eleven years before me) was a very familiar story.

Guy caught the wave in Silicon Valley — showing the importance of networks and using our connections to get ahead. This is something I emphasize in my book Radical Empathy. Guy is very humble, but it’s clear that he had a lot to offer not only the different companies he has worked with, but also the broader community. As I experienced in my life, there were always people who saw potential in me, and that seems to be the case for Guy as well.

I enjoyed his book and our discussion — feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to check out all the great conversations on Guy’s podcast as well as his book.