Democracy Café

Gary Lauder's abiding ethos is that "everyone needs to look out for the interests of everyone." "I want others to be treated the way I'd want to be treated," he tells me. I had the pleasure to know Gary, a venture capitalist and venture philanthropist, among many other things, thanks to introduction by mutual friend Larry Lessig -- and a subsequent invitation extended to me in 2013 to preside over a Teen Socrates Seminar on our Constitution and Declaration of Independence supported by Gary and his wife Laura at the Aspen Institute. Gary and I cover varied ground in this give and take -- from patent law, to a gap year program for students that Gary and Laura Lauder generously support, to the highly impactful entrepreneurial endeavor ShotSpotter, which uses sound waves to detect and map gunshots, and has become an especially vital tool in those communities most impacted by gun violence. In characterizing his philosophy of how one should live, Gary makes timely reference to this timeless insight from P