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Community Global Villages
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"About Jerry" It is Summer, 1999 and alot has happened since that day I invited Jerry Yang to speak to our Asian Business Association in San Francisco. When Jerry first came to speak to us it was just three weeks after Yahoo! went public in 1996. After sharing his vision with the ABA regarding the exciting, unknown potentials of the internet, we sat down for a 3 hour dinner and just talked about the possibilities and opportunities of the industry, and his pride in being Asian American. Jerry was born in Taiwan and came to the states at the early age of ten, so he is quite Americanized. He is easy going, unassuming, articulate and quick witted. Attired in Silicon Valley standard attire...( jeans with a Yahoo! jeans shirt) he was very much the typical Silicon Valley/graduate student. Although he was 26 at the time, with his equity stake valued at $36 million, he seemed to be unfazed with the whirlwind of business activities and public attention focused on him. His passion for the minority and less unfortunate was quite evident even then, when he spoke of the internet as a vehicle that will level the playing field, for it is colorless, genderless and borderless. The impact on society and the world could be so profound with this revolutionary, organized, cost effective access to information and knowledge. The last time I had a chance to have dinner again with Jerry was in May, l998 where he was being honored by UC Berkeley's International House as "The Entrepreneur of the Year ." Despite the continued public adoration, Jerry remains quite the unassuming, thoughtful, sensitive person, and with the foresight many years beyond his peer group. He is now married to a classmate at Stanford...(of Japanese decent from South America), has established a foundation, (named after his dog) to help the less fortunate. Jerry's mother, a single parent, is humble and proud of her two sons accomplishments. His father had passed away when he was two years old. I believe much of Jerry's compassion and philosophy was greatly influenced and shaped by her. His younger brother had just completed his Doctorate in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University and is seeking a teaching position. Currently, he has no interest in the business world. Now at 29, a billionaire ... Jerry continues to balance the human side of his life to make a difference to improve society. This exclusive premiere article of Jerry Yang is not only to celebrate his technology and business achievements, but just as important, his contributions as a role model, his passion to pioneer, leveling the playing field, breaking the glass ceiling, and to remind us all, young and old, to continue to pursue your hopes and dreams, with the passion to have fun and deeply treasure what you have. Tom Chin is the former Chairman of the Asian Business Association of San Francisco and co-Founder of Sino American Investments.
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