Daniel H. Pink
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Pink grew up in Columbus, Ohio and graduated from Bexley High School. A Pell Grant student, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Northwestern University, where he was also a Truman Scholar. He received a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Yale Law & Policy Review.
Upon graduating law school, Pink immediately began working in politics and economic policy. From 1993 to 1995, he was special assistant to Secretary of Labor Robert Reich. From 1995 to 1997, he worked as the chief speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore. In 1997 he quit his job going out on his own, an experience he described in the 1998 Fast Company article "Free Agent Nation" which became his first book.
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Honors and awards
Pink has received honorary degrees from Georgetown University, Pratt Institute, Ringling College of Art and Design, and the University of Indianapolis.
Pink’s books have been selected as common reads for first-year students at George Washington University, Butler University, Texas State University, and other colleges. In addition, Oprah Winfrey gifted copies of his book, A Whole New Mind, to 4,500 graduates of Stanford University when she gave the school’s commencement address.
Books
- Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself. 2001. ISBN 978-0-446-67879-7.
- Pink, Daniel H. (2005). A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-59448-171-0. NYT Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller No. 12, December 28, 2008.
- Pink, Daniel H. (2008). The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-59448-291-5.
- Pink, Daniel H. (2009). Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. National Geographic Books. ISBN 978-1-59448-884-9. NYT Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller No. 12, March 7, 2010.
- Pink, Daniel H. (2012). To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-59448-715-6. NYT Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller No. 8, February 10, 2013.
- Pink, Daniel H. (2018). When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-73521-062-2. NYT Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller No. 2, January 28, 2018.
- The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward. Riverhead. 2022. ISBN 978-0-7352-1065-3. NYT Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller No. 3, February 20, 2022
Television and video work
He was host and co-executive producer of the National Geographic Channel social science TV series Crowd Control. The program set up experiments around the U.S. in an attempt to change behavior.
His TED Talk on “The Puzzle of Motivation” is one of the 25 most popular TED talks of all time with 41 million views.
He has appeared on CBS Sunday Morning and Face the Nation, ABC World News Tonight and Good Morning America, PBS NewsHour, CNN Fareed Zakaria GPS, OWN Super Soul Sunday and other programs.
Washington Post column
In 2024 Pink became a contributing columnist for the Washington Post. He writes a column entitled "Why Not?", examining unexpected ideas for improving American life. According to Post editors, the publication is using the column to introduce “possibility journalism."
Personal life
Daniel Pink married Jessica Lerner, a lawyer, in 1995. They live in Washington D.C. with their children.