Daniel H. Pink

Daniel H. Pink
Pink in 2018
Born	(1964-07-23) July 23, 1964 (age 60) United States
Occupation	Author
Language	English
Alma mater	Northwestern University (B.A.) Yale Law School (J.D.)
Genre	Non-fiction
Spouse	Jessica Lerner
Website
danpink.com

Daniel H. Pink (born July 23, 1964) is an American author. He has written seven New York Times bestsellers. He was host and a co-executive producer of the National Geographic Channel social science TV series Crowd Control.^[1] From 1995 to 1997, he was the chief speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore.^[2]

Pink grew up in Columbus, Ohio and graduated from Bexley High School.^[3][4] A Pell Grant student, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Northwestern University, where he was also a Truman Scholar.^[5][6] He received a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Yale Law & Policy Review.^[7]

Upon graduating law school, Pink immediately began working in politics and economic policy. From 1993 to 1995, he was special assistant to Secretary of Labor Robert Reich.^[8] From 1995 to 1997, he worked as the chief speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore.^[9] In 1997 he quit his job going out on his own, an experience he described in the 1998 Fast Company article "Free Agent Nation" which became his first book.^[10]

Pink has received honorary degrees from Georgetown University,^[11] Pratt Institute,^[12] Ringling College of Art and Design,^[13] and the University of Indianapolis.^[14]

Pink’s books have been selected as common reads for first-year students at George Washington University,^[15] Butler University,^[16] Texas State University,^[17] and other colleges. In addition, Oprah Winfrey gifted copies of his book, A Whole New Mind, to 4,500 graduates of Stanford University when she gave the school’s commencement address.^[18][19]

• Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself. 2001. ISBN 978-0-446-67879-7.
• Pink, Daniel H. (2005). A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-59448-171-0. NYT Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller No. 12, December 28, 2008.^[20]
• Pink, Daniel H. (2008). The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-59448-291-5.
• Pink, Daniel H. (2009). Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. National Geographic Books. ISBN 978-1-59448-884-9. NYT Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller No. 12, March 7, 2010.^[21]
• Pink, Daniel H. (2012). To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-59448-715-6. NYT Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller No. 8, February 10, 2013.^[22]
• Pink, Daniel H. (2018). When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-73521-062-2.^[23] NYT Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller No. 2, January 28, 2018.^[24]
• The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward. Riverhead. 2022. ISBN 978-0-7352-1065-3. NYT Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller No. 3, February 20, 2022^[25]

He was host and co-executive producer of the National Geographic Channel social science TV series Crowd Control. The program set up experiments around the U.S. in an attempt to change behavior.^[26]

His TED Talk on “The Puzzle of Motivation” is one of the 25 most popular TED talks of all time with 41 million views.^[27]

He has appeared on CBS Sunday Morning and Face the Nation,^[28][29] ABC World News Tonight and Good Morning America,^[30] PBS NewsHour,^[31] CNN Fareed Zakaria GPS,^[32] OWN Super Soul Sunday^[33] and other programs.

In 2024 Pink became a contributing columnist for the Washington Post. He writes a column entitled "Why Not?", examining unexpected ideas for improving American life. According to Post editors, the publication is using the column to introduce “possibility journalism."^[34][35]

Daniel Pink married Jessica Lerner, a lawyer, in 1995.^[36] They live in Washington D.C. with their children.^[37]

• Official website
• Daniel H. Pink at IMDb
• Appearances on C-SPAN