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What American Dream Does Jonathan Sposato Want for Holden?

Jonathan Sposato told Geek at Sea he bristles at lining up his son Holden's first job, then first and last month's rent, then a down payment. He knows houses cost more than they did in 1989, and he does not look down on parents who give that help. For Holden he wants the satisfaction of having earned it himself, which is what Sposato means by the American Dream. Host Kirill Zubovsky said that after college he moved to Seattle to start a company rather than take a stopgap job at Starbucks, and that he can also see why a parent would help buy a house.

Transcript

Jonathan Sposato challenges the meaning of the American Dream. ·

Geek at Sea

More from this episode

  1. What Was Jonathan Sposato's Early Childhood LikeJonathan was born in London to a Chinese mom and a Korean dad. Due to circumstances, his mom ended up raising him on her own.
  2. How Did It Feel to Be Living in Hong-Kong as a Little BoyEven though Jonathan did not speak Cantonese, nor did he really know much about Hong-Kong or his grandparents, he says it was a fantastic experience.
  3. How Can We All Live Better TogetherJonathan Sposato wrote a book about this called Better Together , in which he talks about gender and how we can do better in the business by having more women…
  4. How Did Luck Change Sposato's Perspective on LifeHaving some luck in life enabled Jonathan to feel very grateful for what he already has, while giving him grounding to not take things for granted and to…
  5. What Was Life Like for Early Microsoft MillionnairesMicrosoft taught their employees to be great engineers and managers, and marketers and strategists and technologists, but very few had any kind of mentoring…
  6. Did Jonathan Sposato See His Mom While in Hong Kong?Jonathan says he knew he had a mom, that she lived in New York, and that she would send back money and Christmas presents, but he did not actually see her for…
  7. How Did Sposato Get His Italian Last NameJonathan's mom married Dawn Sposato, who subsequently adopted Jonathan as his son, and to honor that gesture Jonathan is keeping with his Italian last name.
  8. What Was It Like Growing Up in a Small American TownWhen Jonathan arrived back to the US, after more than six years abroad, his parents made an effort to make sure he felt welcomed.
  9. Does Jonathan Sposato Tell His Kids to Hit a Bully Back?Jonathan Sposato told Geek at Sea he does not condone fighting, but he has told his son that if another child hurts him physically, he should punch back.
  10. What Does Jonathan Sposato Want When Another Kid Is Bullied?Jonathan Sposato told Geek at Sea that the lesson he wants most is for a child to stand up for other people, not only for himself.
  11. How Does Jonathan Sposato Explain Consent and Bullying to Kids?Jonathan Sposato told Geek at Sea that children can hear adult subjects if you bring the words down to their level.
  12. What Are the Top Qualities of a Successful EntrepreneurDecisiveness (or stupidity) and the ability to move fast without fretting over decisions.
  13. How Is a Startup Founder Unlike a Big Company Employee?Big companies are set up to optimize individual's performance.
  14. Asian Households Are Notorious for Showing Lack of Emotion. How Will Jonathan Raise His SonAffection is important. Whether you use words of affection or acts of kindness, your kids need to know that.
  15. What Are the Top 3 Things to Do as a Successful EntrepreneurTake risks. Have self-awareness. Stay in the growth mindset.
  16. How Did Jonathan Take a Risk and Apply Growth Mindset When Starting GeekwireStarting a media company in Seattle was not an obvious startup, but it felt right.

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