Amanda Knox

If I go to Silicon Valley, which is business, then I'm selling out.

And so I had had, like, that notion, like, this is in my 30s, so I'm still thinking, like, no, like,

If I go do this, I'm like leaving the movement.

When actually I, you know, the work that I do impact where you just take that to a different industry.

And so when I went to Silicon Valley, I was, I came from the NAACP.

So I was never quiet about my advocacy.

I was never quiet.

I was the first black employee.

in the company.

I mostly was in financial technology and fintech.

And so I was the first black employee, but I also came out of Washington.

So I was this person that was like different and unique in Silicon Valley.

And so the reason I got that nickname was because I was political.

And so they're like, you're like Olivia Pope.

Like you could do strategy, but you also are very well connected.

And what I realized is like, I just had different connections.

And so that's how it came about.

And I remember CEOs and tech leaders often would want to talk to me because they didn't understand Washington.

Yes.

And so I would get invited to dinner, lunches, CEOs of big companies that would say, like, help me understand.