His wife is of Japanese descent but was raised in Costa Rica.
The couple met in Japan in 1992 at the Stanford in Kyoto overseas studies program.
Both are Stanford alumni. He has bachelor's and masters degrees in engineering from Stanford. She has a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Stanford.
The couple gave $75 million to their alma mater. $50 million for an Environment and Energy Building, $5 million for a high-tech Learning and Knowledge Center for the School of Medicine, (Yamazaki is co-chair in an effort to raise $50 million for the medical center) and $20 million to figure out later.
Here's7 reasons why:
1. The Challenge - "When The Stanford Challenge defined the environment and sustainability as a major fundraising initiative, it really hit home for Akiko and me," Yang said.
2. The Difference - "When you live in a place like Costa Rica, the environment is just part of life," Yamazaki added.
3. The Future - "The future is in interdisciplinary problem solving," Yamazaki said. "What better place than Stanford?"
4. The Attraction - "You can attract world-class talent," Says Yang.
5. The Commitment - "There's very long-term thinking beyond what you can commercialize tomorrow, beyond what the politics are day-to-day," Yang goes on.
6. The Interaction - "It's still a place about interaction, where the best lawyers, biologists and engineers are all sitting around drinking coffee together," Yang concluded. That "can't replace that with technology or video conferencing or flying around in airplanes. You have to be down the hall where you have the chance of creating some of the best ideas that will come out in the next century."
7. The Thrill - "We feel thrilled, actually, to be a part of that," Yang beams.
Yang and Yamazaki are making a difference in the world, starting at Stanford.
Is it Stanford that is great or the people the institution churns out that are great?
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