Ben Chestnut
@benchestnut
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Co-founder and former CEO of @Mailchimp. Father, husband, designerd, and cyclist š“. šŗšø
Joined December 2008
After 21 years as Mailchimpās Co-founder and CEO, Iām stepping down as CEO and moving into a founder-advisor role. Rania Succar, who leads the QuickBooks Money team, will be Mailchimpās new CEO. Welcome, Rania, and thanks to Mailchimpās peeps for two amazing decades as your CEO.
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The past 17 years were just a warm-up. @Mailchimp has grown beyond email into an always-on marketing platform for small business. It hasnāt always been easy, and thereās hard work ahead. Weāll succeed by staying focused on our customers and creativity.
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I designed @Mailchimpās first Freddie mascot back in 2001. Weāve come a long way since then, growing beyond email to a leading marketing platform for small business. Later today, weāre launching an updated brand and website, designed to tell that story. Hereās a sneak peek!
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Today marks the beginning of @Mailchimpās next chapter of growth and success. We plan to join forces with @Intuit, accelerating our mission to empower small businesses around the world.
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Weāre making Election Day a paid holiday for all @Mailchimp employees. Get out and vote!.
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This is where my mother ran her hair salon when I was a kid. I always wanted my mom to open a professional salon, but she never could. I grew up and built @MailChimp to give small businesses powerful marketing tools so they can grow, scale, and make it out of the kitchen.
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MailChimp started small, 18 years ago. Weāve never forgotten our roots, and weāre still passionate about empowering the underdog. #SmallBusinessWeek
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Iāve been trying to find the right words, but silence isnāt an option. Black Lives Matter. I stand with our Black employees, customers, and community in the fight against racism and violence, and I urge us all to do the same.
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One year ago, @MailChimp made automations free for all users. This year alone more than 1.5M automations have been created, driving new growth and revenue for small businesses across the globe. (1/2).
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Today we're marking a special milestone: @Mailchimp has more than 1,000 employees! We couldnāt have come this far without our customers, so weāre celebrating by giving every employee some of their coolest products. Onward to 10,000!
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As a lifelong Georgian, Iām disappointed that our state is one of the few in the nation without a hate crimes law. Passing HB426 is important to me, itās important to my employees, and it should be important to every Georgian. Itās the right thing to do, and itās long overdue.
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Had a great all hands meeting and Q&A with employees today. Lots of important questions. We talked more about QuickBooks integration down the road, and how every employee will receive a cash transaction bonus from Mailchimp in addition to RSUs granted by Intuit when we close.
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Today at our last all-hands meeting of 2019, we celebrated big wins and @dkurzius announced our annual 401k profit sharing bonus for employees - weāre contributing 19% in addition to our 6% match of total comp! Love being able to recognize and reward our people. š.
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Today we celebrated our first employee to reach 10 years with @Mailchimp. Liza is our Privacy & Data Protection Manager. Sheās known for staying calm under pressure and her infectious laugh. One of my favorite things about her is that sheās never afraid to say no. Congrats, Liza!
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I almost forgot what āpresidentialā sounds like. What amazing speeches by @KamalaHarris and @JoeBiden šŗšøšŗšøšŗšø.
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WOW: @Mailchimp sent over 2 billion emails on Black Friday alone. We're expecting the same kind of volume for Cyber Monday. Our small biz customers are sending more email than ever - and by combining email with our other channels, they're reaching their holiday goals faster.
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We were so lucky to have @ArlanWasHere and her crew from @Backstage_Cap visit our HQ today. The first VC to ever speak at @Mailchimp! Inspired by their game-changing approach to investment.
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Iām not going to lie, itās pretty fun to be featured on the NASDAQ screen in Times Square. But donāt worry. Still no plans to go public!
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Over the last few weeks, weāve been listening hard to our small business customers to learn how we can support them. Many are closed temporarily and shifting business online. Weāre giving $10M in Mailchimp service to customers impacted by COVID-19.
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Today marks @Mailchimpās 20th anniversary. Hereās a pic of @dkurzius and I (far left) the Friday we got laid off. That whole night, I was focused on Monday and how it would be the start of our web design agency, and eventually Mailchimp. Thanks for all the support.
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Dan and I started @Mailchimp as a second act after we were laid off from our corporate jobs. So excited about this new Mailchimp Presents series.
In this unscripted series co-produced with @Vice, we follow five people who decided to change everything about their careers and try something new. Itās Second Actāonly on Mailchimp Presents. šŗ:
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So cool that Mailchimp made it on the #Cloud100 list again. Any chance you can put "Self(!)" in that "funding" column?
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What a year. *Launched our marketing platform + websites.*Opened our first international office .*Recorded biggest Thanksgiving weekend ever .*Launched Mailchimp Presents .*Helped millions of small businesses grow . Thanks to all who made 2019 special. Happy New Year!.
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Our customers have been asking us for years to go beyond email, and we did! Now @Mailchimp is an all-in-one Marketing Platform, with features and packages to help our customers launch and grow their businesses. I wrote about whatās new and whatās next.
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Weāre joining other companies in recognizing Juneteenth as an official company holiday at @Mailchimp.
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Weāre thrilled to be featured by @Forbes magazine. We built our business on email, but now weāre ready for Act Two: weāve launched more channels like landing pages and Postcards, and added CRM functionality. I hope youāre as excited as we are.
Ben Chestnut and Dan Kurzius have built billion-dollar fortunes by helping save small businesses the old-fashioned way: email.#Forbes400
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2019 was a transformative year for @Mailchimp. We launched our all-in-one marketing platform while staying true to our core business: Email. Iām so excited to be bringing back our Annual Report. Weāll share more from 2019 soon, but here's a š at a stat I'm especially proud of.
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āYou canāt build a successful tech company in Atlantaā š©š©š©š©š©š©.
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Weāve long had a profit sharing program, contributing the max 25% into our employeesā 401Ks annually since 2012. As a private company without plans to sell for many years, we opted for immediate payouts. With this transaction, employees will receive both equity and cash bonuses.
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I had a great time getting to know @alexrkonrad and telling him about how @Mailchimp has grown beyond email and evolved to serve our customers. My co-founder, Dan, and I invested every dollar back into @Mailchimp because thatās what small businesses do.
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The COVID-19 crisis has left small businesses in a difficult place. Many brick and mortar stores need to move online quickly to stay afloat. Weāre here to help by offering custom domains free for 5 years along with our free website builder.
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.@repjohnlewis came to @Mailchimp to talk about his graphic novel, March, for Bring Your Child to Work Day in 2016. He was humble, kind, and generous with his time. His joy was infectious. Iām so thankful for that experience, for myself, our team, and their families.
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These problems arenāt new, but they are urgent. As a first step, weāre offering price relief for organizations working to end social injustice in the U.S. If youāre fighting racism and you use @Mailchimp, let us know so we can help. More details to come.
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In addition to the $1.6M weāve already given in 2020, weāre announcing $500K in new, unrestricted grants to support 5 organizations spearheading COVID-19 response and recovery efforts and addressing immediate needs in the communities @Mailchimp calls home.
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šOr you can make something useful that millions of people around the world would pay for.
There are basically 5 ways to accumulate a billion dollars:. 1) Profiting from a monopoly. 2) Insider-trading. 3) Political payoffs. 4) Fraud. 5) Inheritance. Donāt believe the self-made myth.
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And to our Atlanta friends, our HQ is not going anywhere. Mailchimp is proud to be Intuitās new hub in ATL, and we look forward to continuing to invest in the communities we call home. Exciting things to come!
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Just seconds before video turned on, he looked up at me as if to thank me for my heroic Dad IT work. He lovingly whispered, āDad?ā. āYes, son?ā (My heart opening wide to receive his love and admiration). āCan you get out before they see you?ā. š³.
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Last week, we announced summer Fridays and a paid week off in July for all @Mailchimp employees. Itās nice to be able to give our people a chance to catch their breath after a tough year.
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Weāre partnering with @collab_capital on an early stage investment fund focused on Black founders. With @Mailchimp being Atlanta-based, this was especially important for us to be a part of. More info here:.
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With SXSW cancelled, independent artists missed the chance for their work to be seen. So, we built a home for their short films on the Mailchimp Presents platform. I ā¤ļø that the team found a creative way to empower creatives through #SupportTheShorts.
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Itās been a year since @Mailchimp acquired Atlanta @TechStars startup, Sawa, to help us solve one of our usersā biggest roadblocks: content creation. We canāt wait to share more around our content engine later this year.
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We built Mailchimp our way, privately, by staying true to ourselves and remaining laser-focused on small businesses. Itās not the right path for everyone, but Iām proud of our story and how we got to this point. The future is bright for the next wave of entrepreneurs.
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In the early days of Mailchimp, our company culture was born inside the Westside @octanecoffee. When the entire team could still fit inside, it was a second office, a happy hour spot, and where weād welcome new hires. A special place weāll miss dearly.
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Now let's BUILD!.
Moments ago we announced that we plan to bring @Mailchimp into the @Intuit QuickBooks family!! We could not be more excited for @benchestnut and his incredible team to join our mission to fuel the growth and success of small businesses around the world!!
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It's been a good week: @Mailchimp is one of the Top 50 Best Workplaces for Parents, @dkurzius and I recognized three leaders at Mailchimp with our Founders Award, and we sent another 2B emails on Cyber Monday and more than 1B on Giving Tuesday. Congrats to all.
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Meet Inc.'s 2017 Company of the Year--and the proudly weird, ambitious and patient founders who built it @mariaaspan
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Iāve been listening to @HowIBuiltThis for years and have learned a lot about how to build and grow a business from fellow founders. Thanks for letting me share my story @guyraz.
NEW EPISODE ALERT!. This week, on #HowIBuiltThis, the man behind the winking monkey, Co-Founder of Mailchimp, @benchestnut. šµ š§ . Listen to how Benās once afterthought email marketing project turned into $800 million company. LISTEN NOW:
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At @Mailchimp, weāre on a mission to empower all small businesses to grow, whether itās with our marketing software or Mailchimp Presents content. Iām excited to welcome @couriermedia to the family to inspire our customers with more modern entrepreneurial stories.
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And then there was one š„².
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This scholarship meant the world to me. Now Iām glad to share the same opportunity for students from my hometown while honoring my father, Henry. His military career helped inspire my love of technology and industrial design. Thanks for everything, Dad.
In 1996, @Mailchimp CEO @benchestnut entered his high school science fair & won an #AFCEA scholarship. Now, he's started another AFCEA scholarship in his father's name. "Pretty lucky break for a C student! I'm forever grateful." (Repost: @TechTalkAugusta)
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I signed on behalf of @Mailchimp. Thereās no place for hate in Georgia. Pass HB426.
MAC joined 60+ companies across Georgia urging the General Assembly to support, approve and sign into law a comprehensive, specific and clear bill against hate crimes. We stand strong and united against targeted violence and bigotry. #PassHateCrimesGA
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When you try to take a serious looking photo for the NYT, but you're standing next to @LaurenLCoon 's desk. This is so MailChimp.
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Watching the news with my family. Selfish, unhinged leadership has put our democracy at risk. Itās shameful. How do I explain whatās happening to my boys?.
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While weāre reminiscing, I drew this version of our beloved Freddie on a Post-It Note in 2008. It marked a new chapter in Mailchimpās design story. Iām excited to start another new chapter today.
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At @Mailchimp, weāre prioritizing the health of our employees, and working on ways to help our customers and community. To start, weāre offering free Standard accounts to eligible groups sending critical, public health information responding to COVID-19.
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Exercising your right to vote is something we take seriously at @Mailchimp. Election Day is a paid company holiday, and weāre encouraging our employees to volunteer as poll workers. Is your business #VoteReady?
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Looks like Freddie had a cameo in last night's episode of Silicon Valley. But which startup uses @MailChimp? š¤·āāļøš
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Last week @Mailchimp held our 2019 kickoff partyāthe theme was "Freddieās Prom." Teresa and I are high school sweethearts, so the events team took our old prom photo and recreated the background.
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In 2001, @dkurzius and I launched a delightful email tool. We wanted to call it ChimpMail but the domain was taken, so we bought @Mailchimp. Now, we offer domains and websites, so other future world-changing companies can start with Mailchimp, too. š
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Week 1 with my new office mates has gone well. š Hope everyone is staying safe out there.
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We hit a lot of milestones at @Mailchimp in 2019, including 10 employees who celebrated their 10-year anniversaries. On their first day, some of them had to put together their own computer š. Thankfully, a lot has changed since then. Cheers to the next 10!
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My iPhoneās āmemoriesā feature gives me a chuckle just about every morning. This is 2007, so Iām guessing my wife came home from the night shift at the hospital one morning to find us conked out.
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Small businesses have created 2 out of every 3 new jobs in the US since 2000. Theyāre an essential part of what makes our economy function. Thatās why itās so important to shop small and local this #SmallBusinessSaturday, especially if theyāre a @Mailchimp customer. š.
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Mailchimpās small business customers sent over 2 billion emails and generated over 1 billion dollars in orders on Black Friday! Thatās twice our weekday average. On track for a big #CyberMonday today.
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I want to give a shout-out to our 56 employees who signed up to be poll workers and poll watchers today. Stay safe out there, and thank you. #Vote2020.
Reminder: Mailchimp is closed for Election Day in the U.S. Please allow extra time for responses to support emails, chats, and questions. Weāll see you tomorrowādonāt forget to vote!.
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Voting should be safe, accessible, and easy for everyone. SB202 undermines free and fair elections in our home state of Georgia, and will make it harder for people to exercise their right to vote, especially people of color. Georgians deserve better.
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I was honored to accept the @naaap 100 Award this weekend. I dedicated the award to my late mother, a Thai immigrant who taught me so much of what I know about business. Thank you, NAAAP for the recognition and opportunity to honor my Mom.
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Itās important to us that our employees and neighbors across Georgia have what they need to get out to vote! Weāve already made Election Day a company holiday at @Mailchimp, and today weāre launching a tool to help Georgia voters vote early. #VoteEarly.
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Congrats to @tristanwalker, @pauljudge, @JewelMarie and all the founders in this article. Iām thrilled by your success and the impact youāre having in Atlanta. Thereās nowhere Iād rather be.
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I've shared my feelings on this with the whole company. I support our Black employees, and want everyone to know that there's no place for racism and hatred at Mailchimp.
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Last all-hands meeting of 2018! We checked in on our strategic plan, celebrated some big wins, and @dkurzius announced our annual 401k profit sharing for employees. Donāt you just love this time of year?
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Had so much fun on @MastersOfScale talking with @reidhoffman about bootstrapping and scaling @Mailchimp. I also got some great, free advice! (Reid, you should charge your guests.) Listen here:
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Our ecomm customers sold nearly 5 million orders and earned over $500 million through @Mailchimp on Black Friday. Thatās 30% more orders and a 35% increase in revenue this year. Canāt wait to see their performance through Cyber Monday!.
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Added my name to the list. Thank you @LeviStraussCo for your leadership on this issue, and to the other CEOs and founders for speaking up.
Together, we can save lives from gun violence. We join 140+ CEOs calling on the U.S. Senate to pass proven, lifesaving gun safety policies like background checks on all gun sales and a strong Red Flag law. #BackgroundChecksNow
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Halloween is always one of my favorite times of year at @Mailchimp. Love seeing our employees' kiddos trick-or-treat at the office!
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Today is my kidsā first day of school. Iām basically the WFH IT team, switching them from Zoom to Google Meet and back all morning. Hang in there, parents!.
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Walked the Beltline at lunch and snapped these pics of our new HQ - itās really making good progress!
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Last week @dkurzius and I accepted an award from @AtlantaMagazine honoring @Mailchimpās community action work. Over the past five years, weāve partnered with more than 140 different groups in Atlanta, and invested more than $6M. Weāre just getting started.
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We're officially part of the @Intuit family and we're ready to get to work! Our goal is to combine @Mailchimp and @QuickBooks to give our users better insights about how to market to their customers so they can grow. This is going to be a game changer.
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Excited about what this means for the marketing platform weāre building: Sawa's technology instantly turns brand assets into beautiful designs. Our brand-savvy and busy small business customers will love it. And welcome to Mailchimp, Francis!
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.@Mailchimp users see 93% higher open rates and 174% higher click rates with automated email. Our new Customer Journey Builder features an updated interface and if/then branching for more flexibility and adaptability. This is just the beginning of our big plans for automations!
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Iām trying to focus on the camera, and not the screens in Zoom. Asked my kid to paint a creepy šļø on the lens flap. He charged me $5 in Robux. Now I canāt stop staring at it.
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Each quarter at an all-hands meeting, we present the Founders Award to people who drive innovation and add value to our culture. What I love about this group is that they all empower others to be independent thinkers. Congrats to Bronda, Dustin, and Jay. Youāve earned it!
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Iām excited to kick off the new year by launching Mailchimpās 2019 Annual Report, Business Unusual: Mailchimpās Year in Review. Itās a fun way to share highlights from 2019 with our customers, partners, and community.
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Anti-Asian racism has been a familiar, ugly refrain throughout much of my life. This yearās spike in violent attacks, and last nightās murder of Asian American women here in Atlanta, is heartbreaking and scary. We must stand together to #StopAsianHate now.
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Iāve observed the opposite. People whoāve come from wealthy families and have lots of college credentials have lots of opportunities, and so they tend to give up faster and get a stable full time job somewhere when they hit adversity. (āWhy should I suffer?ā).
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