The morning after the Pulse Massacre I was on a plane to Paris as a guest of Huawei for their annual conference. On my way to the airport a man was arrested with a small arsenal. He was headed to Pride in West Hollywood.
With my heart heavy I left my family and my country as I had a job to do and I think I did it well. I attended a two day conference and will likely have a year’s worth of content from the presentations given. Everything from levitating high speed trains and artificial intelligence to the internet of things and new career opportunities for our children. The intersection of European and Chinese culture was both fascinating and beautiful – oddly never uncomfortable and there are many conflicting conventions.
Today isn’t the day to talk about it.
Today is the day to simply acknowledge that I’m tired from jetlag and my heart remains heavy. Orlando has suffered a massive loss of young gay men of color and if you have a moment you should read this article which may help explain to you why it is so important that we protect LGBTQ Americans and people around the world.
I loved Paris. Anna and I were mildly to moderately ridiculous there & I do have stories to tell. We met some really bright folks, a talented photographer who usually just talks to people in the C Suite and we made macaroons. I want to talk about my experiences in Paris with Huawei but before that I just need to breathe a little and process what’s happening here in the US.