Quotes by Leila Janah

I think the philosophy that you have to have if you travel frequently is, stuff is just stuff. Even if it has some sentimental or family connection, if you lose it in the world, its still just a thing, and I think if you dont have that attitude, you will get incredibly stressed out and not enjoy your travels.

Migration is the story of my life: my parents and grandparents journeyed across four continents to flee war and find jobs, eventually finding their way to the U.S.

In terms of environmental impact, Samasource jobs are very green. Our product is human intelligence, and its transported through the Internet rather than via carbon-intensive trucking, shipping, and warehousing.

True leadership isnt about having an idea. Its about having an idea and recruiting other people to execute on this vision.

I think people are hungry for new ideas and leadership in the world of poverty alleviation. Most development programs are started and led by people with Ph.Ds in economics or policy. Samasource is part of a cadre of younger organizations headed by entrepreneurs from non-traditional backgrounds.

Often, we think that things are the way they are because of intelligent design - because somebody super-smart, or some group of academics, came up with the best system ever to do XYZ. Actually, things are often the way they are because of an accident of history.

The core concept of Samasource is essentially that technology helps us unlock human talent wherever it may happen to reside. That we should no longer be victims of the birth lottery. That no one should be stuck in a poor place where they dont have a job simply because of an accident of birth.

I think part of the problem with charity is that it tends to make us view people as helpless victims. I think in the future, well look back on charity in the same way that we look back on colonialism today: as a very paternalistic system that doesnt fully recognise the full spectrum of humanity.