Ursula Burns: From Public Housing to CEO

Boss Files with Poppy Harlow

CNN

Business, Entrepreneurship

4.6 • 538 Ratings

🗓️ 24 July 2017

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ursula Burns, former CEO of Xerox, sits down for a conversation about economic opportunity in the United States. She discusses her upbringing and education, things she learned from her mother, why she doesn't plan to run for public office and sexism in the workplace. Produced by Haley Draznin, CNN.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	In this episode of Boss Files, she's a first in so many ways, former Xerox chief Ursula Burns,
0:07.0	the first African-American female CEO of a Fortune 500 company, and the first woman to
0:13.0	succeed another woman as the head of a Fortune 500 company.
0:17.0	And a woman who was told as a kid she had three strikes against her.
0:21.6	When I was about 13, it was the first time I heard it, and the person said, you know,
0:26.6	you're pretty smart, but you have some challenges. What are they? You have three strikes against you.
0:31.6	You're poor, you're a woman, and you're black.
0:35.6	She grew up in the public housing projects of New York City and was raised by a single mother who helped her achieve her American dream.
0:43.3	Now, after reaching the pinnacle of success, she's paying it forward and calling on all of us to help those who need it most.
0:51.3	So will she dip her toe in politics? She doesn't rule out a run.
0:56.4	Also, why she says it is a time of power for women in tech. She joined me for CNN Money's
1:02.6	American Opportunity Breakfast in New York. Thank you, Ursula, for being here. I am thrilled.
1:09.1	We're going to talk about your personal story, your remarkable rise. The American
1:13.9	Dream, is it alive today? And what can we all do with our voices to help make sure it is
1:19.9	achievable for more people? So let's start with all of the first that you've achieved, the first
1:25.2	African-American female CEO of a Fortune 500 company,
1:29.3	and the first woman to succeed another woman as the head of a Fortune 500 company.
1:34.3	But when you were a child, a lot of people told you, no way, Ursula, you have three strikes against you.
1:43.3	What were those? Yeah, I actually heard those women. No way, Ursula, you have three strikes against you.
1:44.2	What were those?
1:46.0	Yeah, I actually heard those words.
1:49.2	You have three strikes against you.
	...

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