Before we get to today’s guest, I want to start with a little story. In 2014, Taiwan’s governing party was trying to strike a trade deal with China. They wanted to do it in a way that was underhanded, they didn’t want the general public to have a say in how things went down. So, in response, thousands of protesters flooded the streets and they took over the legislature. For weeks, the world watched as young people in Taiwan fought for transparency and democracy, and they won. One of those people was Audrey Tang. At the time, she was a cyber hacker, someone who grew up on the internet who used her knowledge to spread awareness of the cause to supporters around the world. Within a year, however, Audrey had switched to the other team, she had joined Taiwan’s government and she was tasked with helping it become more transparent. Later, as digital minister, she became the point person for responding to cyber threats from China.

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