Dan Pink
Born 1964 · Age 61
American author of bestselling books on business, motivation, and behavior; former speechwriter to Vice President Al Gore; host/co-executive producer of National Geographic's Crowd Control; TED speaker and newspaper columnist.
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Life & Career Timeline
Grew up in Columbus/Bexley, Ohio
Raised in central Ohio (Bexley/Columbus); childhood shaped by local public libraries and community life.
Graduated Bexley High School
Completed high school at Bexley High School; worked on school newspaper 'The Torch', an formative writing experience.
Matriculated at Northwestern University
Began undergraduate studies at Northwestern University (majored in linguistics).
Awarded Truman Scholarship (undergraduate)
Named a Truman Scholar while at Northwestern University (typically awarded during junior year).
Graduated Northwestern University (B.A.)
Graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts in linguistics from Northwestern University (approx. 1986).
Entered Yale Law School (J.D.)
Began Juris Doctor studies at Yale Law School (later served as editor-in-chief of Yale Law & Policy Review).
Graduated Yale Law School (J.D.) / Editor-in-Chief of YLPR
Received JD from Yale Law School and served as editor-in-chief of the Yale Law & Policy Review (approx. graduation 1989).
Passed Bar Exam (did not practice)
Took and passed a bar exam but did not practice law; instead went into politics and speechwriting.
Worked on political campaigns
Worked on a number of political campaigns after law school; began writing speeches for campaigns which led to later roles in government.
Special Assistant / Speechwriter to Secretary Robert Reich
Served as special assistant (speechwriter) in the U.S. Department of Labor under Secretary Robert Reich from 1993 to 1995.
Chief Speechwriter to Vice President Al Gore
Served as chief speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore from 1995 through 1997.
Married Jessica A. Lerner
Married Jessica Lerner (a lawyer) on July 2, 1995 (NYT Wedding announcement).
Left Gore staff to go independent
Quit his government role in 1997 to go out on his own and pursue writing and independent work.
Published Fast Company article 'Free Agent Nation'
Wrote the influential 1998 Fast Company article 'Free Agent Nation', which later formed the basis of his first book.
Contributing editor roles at Fast Company and Wired
Served as a contributing editor at Fast Company and Wired and wrote articles for a range of publications (dates span early 2000s).
Published first book 'Free Agent Nation'
Released Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself (later a Washington Post bestseller and subject of critical discussion).
Free Agent Nation cited as influential book
Free Agent Nation was later selected (2013) by the U.S. Department of Labor and Library of Congress as one of 100 Books That Shaped Work in America.
Published 'A Whole New Mind'
Released A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future (became a long-running bestseller).
Published 'The Adventures of Johnny Bunko' (graphic novel)
Published The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: the first American business book in the manga format; became a BusinessWeek bestseller and an ALA best graphic novel for teens.
Oprah gifts 4,500 copies of 'A Whole New Mind' to Stanford grads
Oprah Winfrey gave copies of A Whole New Mind to Stanford's graduating class during her commencement speech (June 2008).
Published 'Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us'
Published Drive (2009), a major bestseller that draws on behavioral science to reframe motivation.
TED Talk: 'The Puzzle of Motivation'
Delivered the TED Talk 'The Puzzle of Motivation' (July 2009); one of the most popular TED talks with ~41 million views.
'Drive' on NYT bestseller list (No. 12)
Drive ranked No. 12 on the New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller list (March 7, 2010); Drive spent 159 weeks on NYT lists overall.
Published 'To Sell is Human'
Published To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others (2012); the book reached #1 on multiple bestseller lists.
To Sell is Human awarded AMA Berry Book Prize
To Sell is Human won the American Marketing Association's Berry Book Prize as the year's best book on marketing (circa 2013).
Free Agent Nation named one of 100 Books That Shaped Work in America
U.S. Department of Labor and Library of Congress selected Free Agent Nation as one of 100 Books That Shaped Work in America (2013).
Received honorary doctorate from Pratt Institute
Awarded an honorary degree from Pratt Institute (commencement honoree referenced for 2013).
National Geographic 'Crowd Control' premieres / Slate coverage
Hosted and co-executive produced the National Geographic Channel social science series Crowd Control; Slate covered the program Nov 13, 2014. The series set up behavioral experiments and aired in 100+ countries.
Received honorary degree from Georgetown University
Georgetown University announced commencement speakers and honorary degrees for 2016 (honorary doctorate awarded to Pink).
Published 'When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing'
Released When (2018); the book spent four months on the New York Times bestseller list and reached No. 2 (Jan 28, 2018).
'When' reaches NYT Hardcover Nonfiction No. 2
When ranked No. 2 on the New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller list (Jan 28, 2018).
Interview on CNN Fareed Zakaria GPS
Appeared on Fareed Zakaria GPS to discuss timing and other topics (August 2, 2019).
Face the Nation interview (transcript June 20, 2021)
Interviewed on Face the Nation; transcript dated June 20, 2021.
Honorary degree from University of Indianapolis announced
University of Indianapolis announced honorary degrees for 2021 including Daniel Pink (press release Apr 28, 2021).
Published 'The Power of Regret'
Released The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward (2022); the book was an instant New York Times bestseller and widely recognized.
Books used as common reads at universities
His books (including A Whole New Mind and others) were selected as common reads for first-year students at George Washington University, Butler University, Texas State University and others (selection activity notably cited in 2021–2022).
'The Power of Regret' reaches NYT Hardcover Nonfiction No. 3
The Power of Regret ranked No. 3 on The New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller list (Feb 20, 2022); book named best book of 2022 by NPR, Amazon, Apple Books, and the Financial Times.
Good Morning America appearance on regret
Appeared on Good Morning America to discuss regret and The Power of Regret (June 28, 2022).
Appeared on PBS NewsHour re: timing and 'When'
Appeared on PBS NewsHour to discuss research on timing and material from When (PBS season 2018 referenced and ongoing appearances after publication).
Books translated into many languages and over 5M copies sold (milestone)
Dan Pink's works have been translated into dozens of languages and (per his website) have sold more than five million copies worldwide (site cites translations into 46 languages and 5M+ sales).
Serves on Board of Directors, Big Picture Learning
Serves on the board of the education nonprofit Big Picture Learning (ongoing advisory/board role referenced in profiles).
CBS Sunday Morning appearance (regret program coverage)
Participated in CBS Sunday Morning segment discussing the psychology of romantic regret (cited 2024).
Japan Society Media Fellow (Tokyo) — earlier fellowship noted
Was a Japan Society Media fellow in Tokyo where he studied Japan's comic industry (date unspecified in sources).
Featured as a Jeopardy! clue
At some point Pink has been the subject of a clue on the game show Jeopardy! (citation in biography pages).
Hosts MasterClass on sales and persuasion
Teaches a MasterClass on sales and persuasion (MasterClass listed on his site; date of launch unspecified).
Became contributing columnist for The Washington Post ('Why Not?')
Joined The Washington Post as a contributing columnist in 2024, writing a column titled 'Why Not?' exploring possibility journalism.
Current estimated net worth (approximate)
Estimated net worth reflecting decades of bestselling books, speaking, media work, and TV production.
Key Achievement Ages
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