Fair Shot

Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes makes the case that one percenters like him should pay their fortune forward in a radically simple way: a guaranteed income for working people

The first half of Chris Hughes' life followed the perfect arc of the American Dream. He grew up in a small town in North Carolina. His parents were people of modest means, but he was accepted into an elite boarding school and then Harvard, both on a scholarship. There, he met Mark Zuckerberg and Dustin Moskovitz and became one of the co-founders of Facebook.

In telling his story, Hughes demonstrates the powerful role fortune and luck play in today's economy. Through the rocket-ship rise of Facebook, Hughes came to understand how a select few can become ultra-wealthy nearly overnight. He believes the same forces that made Facebook possible have made it harder for everyone else in America to make ends meet.

To help people who are struggling, Hughes proposes a simple, bold solution: a guaranteed income for working people, including unpaid caregivers and students, paid for by the one percent. Hughes believes that a guaranteed income is the most powerful tool we have to combat poverty. Money – cold hard cash with no strings attached – gives people freedom, dignity and the ability to climb the economic ladder.

A guaranteed income for working people is the big idea that's missing. This book, grounded in Hughes' personal experience, will start a frank conversation about how we earn, how we can combat income inequality, and ultimately, how we can give everyone a fair shot.

“I admire Chris's commitment to apply his talent, experience and wealth to tackle some of our toughest problems”

This is a book that confounds expectations … Hughes is thoughtful, humble and honest about his luck … A meditation on the great issues of the 21st-century economy The Times
Deeply felt and cogently argued ... Hughes makes a powerful case that deserves a respectful hearing Financial Times
Admirable … As much a memoir as a manifesto – an endearing effort by the author to understand the meaning of his extraordinary circumstances Economist
I admire Chris’s commitment to apply his talent, experience and wealth to tackle some of our toughest problems -- Bill Gates
If we are to be true to the principles of our nation’s founding, opportunity cannot be solely the province of the wealthy and well-connected. Yet the promise that if you work hard you can get ahead is broken for millions. As we strive to build a fairer, more inclusive country, Fair Shot is a very important read. These ideas must be part of the conversation -- Senator Cory Booker
Too many people are working too hard and they’re still sinking, not even able to cover the basic costs of living. Fair Shot offers a new tool for economic mobility: a guaranteed income to all working people - even those whose work hasn’t been recognised or compensated with income before -- Arianna Huffington
A provocative, experientially grounded contribution to the debate around a once-outlandish idea San Francisco Chronicle

Chris Hughes has spent his career working at the intersection of politics and technology. He was a co-founder of Facebook, a digital architect for President Obama’s campaign, and the publisher of the digital and print magazine The New Republic. In 2016, he co-founded the Economic Security Project, a project to explore how to provide financial security for all Americans through cash transfers. Hughes also works on a range of progressive causes from his home in New York City. He is an investor and board member in several New York- and California-based start-ups, and he graduated from Harvard in 2006 magna cum laude with a degree in History and Literature.

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