In brief
- Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang has launched a non-profit called Humanity First
- Yang is known for his progressive stance on cryptocurrencies
- The new non-profit is intended to champion the ideas he put forward during his campaign.
Andrew Yang was the presidential candidate crypto fans were rooting for, until he bowed out in February. He’s now launched a new non-profit, Humanity Forward, which plans to embody the spirit of the Yang 2020 campaign—tackling issues including the “data dividend” and universal basic income (UBI).
Humanity Forward will focus first on a “data dividend” campaign to fight for consumers rights to their personal data, Yang said. The non-profit will also donate $500,000 to a city in New York State to test a universal basic income program.
We just launched in front of millions on @TheView! If you think it’s time for a human-centered America, donate today. https://t.co/CAyumCLkNc pic.twitter.com/eeVmeVgfiu
— Humanity Forward (@HumanityForward) March 5, 2020
Will crypto figure in Humanity Forward’s plans?
Yang is a firm proponent of crypto adoption and regulation; during his presidential campaign, he accepted donations in cryptocurrency.
Crypto advocates will be hoping that Yang hasn’t forgotten his enthusiasm for settling UBI plans in Bitcoin. He was very keen on the idea during an episode of the "Off The Pill" podcast.
When the interviewer floated it, Yang replied, “I love where you’re headed.”
However, it’s not clear at present whether Humanity Forward’s UBI project will adopt Bitcoin, or how crypto figures into its wider plans.
Yang ready to get to work on grand ambitions
Yang was a businessman before his presidential bid, and rose from obscurity to become a highly-visible candidate. At one point, he was sixth in the national polls. He was able to rally a coalition of liberal Democrats, libertarians and disaffected Republicans dubbed the Yang Gang.
He’s joined CNN as a political commentator, and plans to launch his own podcast, in which he will discuss “new ideas to solve the greatest challenges of our time.” Crypto commentators will be hoping to get some airtime on Yang’s show.
Earlier this week, Decrypt reported that Yang could also be putting his hat in the ring for Mayor of New York, which would place him in a position to push for a rethink on the state's onerous cryptocurrency regulations.
But in an interview on Wednesday, he said he was focused on getting Humanity Forward off the ground first, while reiterating that he wouldn’t rule out a mayoral run.
“We knew we wanted to keep the movement growing, the only question was what form that would take,” Yang said in an interview on Wednesday. “I have to say I’m super excited about it, my hands were tied as a political candidate to some extent. And now I get to work.”