Interdependent Capitalism: Redesigning the Social Contract Through Inclusive Stakeholding

The story we’re telling is simple: as humans have globalized, family values have not scaled well. Not so many lifetimes ago, we lived in kin tribes comprised of our aunts, uncles, cousins, and other relatives. Because of the genetic relatedness of our fellow kin, our interests were aligned according to the principles of inclusive fitness.

Today, we no longer in live in kin tribes. The roles once played by our extended kin are often played by strangers. Heroes we admired used to be our uncles and aunts. Now, we admire celebrities who maximize profit by encouraging us to buy their endorsed products. Such transactional dynamics have transformed virtually every type of human relationship, right down to the Tinder culture.

The time has come to rewrite our social contract for the modern era.

We are writing this book to help audiences around the world imagine entirely new types of social, political, and economic institutions based on inclusive stakeholding, congruent goals, and a vested interest in the success of others—attributes that were inherent in the inclusive fitness of our prehistoric social systems.

The time has come for Interdependent Capitalism.

Dr. Joon Yun is President of Palo Alto Investors LP, a hedge fund founded in 1989. Board certified in radiology, Joon served on the clinical faculty at Stanford. Joon is a trustee of the Salk Institute and was the $2 million founding donor to the National Academy of Medicine Aging and Longevity Grand Challenge. Joon holds a MD from Duke Medical School and a BA from Harvard University. He has been to Burning Man the past 19 years.

Jeremy Yun is Director of Yun Family Foundation. He is also a guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the band WJM. With his band, Jeremy has appeared live in front of millions of viewers on prime time TV shows such as NBC’s Little Big Shots and the European TV show Super Kids. He and his bandmates have performed at rock festivals, the United Nations, Burning Man, YouTube, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. Jeremy gave a TEDx talk “The New Social Contract” in 2017 and serves on the board of the Purpose Awards.

Conrad Yun has over 20 years of experience as an investor and entrepreneur. Conrad manages a family office with investments across a range of public and private assets, including in numerous startups. Conrad is also Executive Director of Yun Family Foundation and its affiliate Palo Alto Institute, which are nonprofits sponsoring initiatives in the areas of aging, nutrition, childhood diseases, technology and art. Previously, Conrad worked in the technology sector as an executive and founder of startups in Europe and Asia and also as a corporate lawyer at Cravath, Swaine & Moore. Conrad is a CFA charterholder and holds a JD from University of Chicago Law School and a BA from Harvard University.