Andrew Yang Wants to Bring TikTok Hype Houses to NYC as Mayor
Written by SOURCE on January 14, 2021
Now that Andrew Yang has announced his mayoral bid for New York City, he’s started outlining some of policies. And while Yang has good ideas like universal basic income, one of his ideas has raised some eyebrows.
As the New York Times’ Taylor Lorenz pointed out on Twitter, Yang wants to bring TikTok Hype Houses to the city to encourage young creators to live and work in New York. “We need to help create similar artist collectives that utilize new technologies,” Yang writes on his website.
As you might expect, New Yorkers weren’t particularly fond of the idea of a bunch of TikToker’s descending on their city.
Yang also came under fire this week for complaining about living in New York City during the pandemic. “We live in a two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. And so, like, can you imagine trying to have two kids on virtual school in a two-bedroom apartment, and then trying to do work yourself?” he told The New York Times.
During the pandemic, Yang left town to live in the Hudson Valley. “We took our two kids, including my autistic son, to Upstate New York to help him adapt to our new normal,” Yang later told The Times in a separate statement. “Evelyn and I know how lucky we are to have that option, which is why I’ve committed the past several years of my life to lifting up working families and eliminating poverty.”
Yang also appeared on The Breakfast Club on Thursday to further discuss his campaign.