Shiva Ayyadurai

Shiva Ayyadurai was born in Bombay, India. He earned a bachelor's degree, master's degree, and Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1986, 1990, and 2007, respectively. His professional experience includes working as a scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, owner of multiple businesses related to biological systems and computer science, author of 10 books, and university lecturer at MIT. Ayyadurai also worked for the U.S. Senate to deploy their email management infrastructure. He has served as a charter member with The Indus Entrepreneur (TIE), as a lifetime member with Tau Beta Pi, as a full member of Sigma Xi, as a member of Eta Kappa Nu, as a member of the Oxford-Cambridge Society, and as a student member of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES).

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Video submitted to BallotpediaReleased August 11, 2020

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born in India, where we were considered low caste "Untouchables." We came to America in 1970 on my 7th birthday - to this land of incredible opportunity. We settled in Paterson, NJ and I went to public school, where I was fortunate to have incredibly dedicated teachers, coaches and mentors. I learned that what mattered most was Truth - to uncover it, share it and fight for it. That core value is THE foundation of the American Dream. And my life has been about fighting for Truth, at every step.

I am the Inventor of Email, hold 4 degrees from MIT including a Doctorate in Systems Biology, and am a Fulbright Scholar. I have started 7 successful hi-tech companies including EchoMail, CytoSolve, Systems Health and Center for Integrative Systems.

The Founding Fathers created a revolutionary nation in which innovation, education, creativity, and meritocracy flourished. Those core values drew my family to immigrate to the United States, and I'll always be grateful for the opportunities I've found here. Now I'm committed to preserving, protecting, and expanding those opportunities for the citizens of Massachusetts and for all Americans. That's the new American Revolution, and I hope you'll join me in this fight.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Digital Rights - Ensure every American has freedom in the digital world by ensuring the US Postal service provides digital infrastructure for universal access without censorship.Citizen Science - Academia has been compromised by pay-to-play science. The only way out is to ensure all citizens have access to research data that is federally funded by our tax dollars.Health Rights - The government should not be involved in mandating any medicine or protocol for any individual. The sovereignty of the patient-practitioner relationship must be supreme in ensuring the patient receives the right medicine at the right time.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a scientist, biological engineer, and a political activist, the three areas I'm most passionate about are Health, Science, and Civil Liberties. Relative to health, my research informs me that Real Health can only come when no middle-men are involved, and the patient and practitioner are able to figure out what's right for the individual through the modern science of personalized and precision medicine. However, we cannot discover the real solutions for health without real science - truth can only come when we are allowed to practice the scientific method. The scientific method cannot be practiced unless we have open discourse, debate, and freedom without censorship. From freedom comes truth, from truth comes health, from health we have the strength to fight for freedom. This is the cycle of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness I will fight for as your next US Senator.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

One of the people who I most revere in his writings is that of Marcus Aurelius. I believe the virtues of one serving the public should be the highest integrity, possessing of actual tangible skills, the ability to communicate complex ideas in simple terms, and the ability to build teams and community to achieve goals.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have an ability and experience in transforming big ideas to practical solutions.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to be the first senator to serve one term and to educate 100,000 young people to also participate in politics, only serving one term.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

The first three jobs I had was mowing lawns, painting houses, and programming software, starting at the age of 12.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo by Robert Lewis Stevenson, because in it you see the triumph of good and power, the underdog over the aristocracy and the abuse of power.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I have been working to advance the dialog of politics beyond left and right, beyond black and white, and to unite working people.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

My training as a scientist, engineer, entrepreneur, and inventor, as well as my knowledge of important technologies informs me that the most important thing to be concerned about is privacy, security, and intellectual property protection. The first two are critical as the digital world evolves in protecting the freedom and security of every individual. Knowledge is creating the haves and have nots. Those who have privacy and security, and the masses of people who do not. Three to five major companies (e.g. Google, AT&T, Verizon, Twitter, Facebook) now control the digital airwaves. When it comes to digital production, big companies are devastating small investors by the attack on intellectual property rights such as patents and copyrights by large corporations. The founders knew the power of intellectual property. For example, the 30,000 small businesses that came out of MIT today product 2 trillion per year towards the GDP of the United States. The monopolization of intellectual property by large corporations threatens American innovation.

What qualities does the U.S. Senate possess that makes it unique as an institution?

Unlike the House of Representatives, where a congressperson is expected to "represent" their constituency, a senator, in the intent of the founders, is expected to provide vision, leadership, and innovative solutions to their constituency. Unlike a congressperson, this requires a U.S. Senator to possess skills in the trades and technology. A senator should understand the future so they bring to his constituency new ideas which can advance the U.S., to keep it competitive and ahead of its competitors. U.S. Senators are supposed to provide leadership and innovation, not simply parrot a majority of the constituency wants. They are supposed to bring ideas, innovation, concepts, and implement them. Men of ideas and practice (symbol of MIT, thinker and worker. Think and act, not just represent.) symbol, reading, and blacksmith. That is what my MIT Training prepared me for. This is what the founders of the United States were.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for senators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe what it's important for senators to have is not in the swamp and corruption of modern government, but rather experience in serving customers, delivering a service or product on time, knowing how to balance a budget, being resourceful, building teams, able to focus on setting and achieving goals, growing wealth and prosperity for others, and having significant training in some trade or vocation - being a lawyer is not considered one of them.

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What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

1. CLEAN GOVERNMENT: I believe in a government that facilitates the life you deserve and is built on this fundamental principle: For You, By You. Today the life you live is governed by self-serving silos of centralized government, economy, and health, which are designed For the Establishment, By the Establishment. But the life you deserve will emerge when you have a personalized and decentralized government, economy, and health that is For the People, By the People. And that can only emerge when you Declare Your Independence from the duopoly of Democrats and Republicans.

2. REAL HEALTH: I would focus on three elements: 1) LOWERING THE COST of healthcare by eliminating kickbacks driven by group purchasing organizations (GPOs)/pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) -- middlemen who monopolize the supply chain and in aggregate have increased costs by a quarter of a trillion dollars; 2) Enabling innovation in drug development, which I know intimately. My company CytoSolve has a powerful technology to develop medicines faster and cheaper by modeling diseases using computational methods; and, 3) Incentivizing prevention and the eating of healthy food, including enacting policies to ensure our food supply is safe and not ridden with pesticides or genetic modifications that have evaded safety assessments. Health is a complex systems problem, and solutions to complex systems problems deserve a multi-pronged approach. My solution can bring down the cost of healthcare, currently at $10,000 per worker, to $2,500 per worker.

3. REAL JOBS: In Massachusetts, for every 17 skilled job openings there is only one person skilled enough to fill the job. The way to address and truly fight inequality is by unleashing vo-tech schools in underserved areas to create more plumbers, electricians, and engineers. And beyond just Silicon Valley or Kendall Square, let's create 21st century jobs that take advantage of the incredible advances in science, engineering, medicine, and the long-awaited return of manufacturing and fair trade practices.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I embody the spirit of America. I came to America in 1970 from India, where we were considered low-caste "Untouchables," or Deplorables. My grandmother, who influenced me greatly, was a village healer. My journey to America involved immigration, education and innovation. I went through the public school system in New Jersey, where I mowed lawns, played baseball, and excelled in school. In New Jersey I invented the world's first email system, when I wrote 50,000 lines of software code to convert the old-fashioned interoffice mail system (inbox, outbox, attachments, memo, etc.) to its electronic equivalent. I named it "email" and received the first U.S. Copyright for Email, at a time when Copyright was the only way to protect software inventions. I went on to MIT to earn four degrees, including my PhD in systems biology -- which allowed me, via a Fulbright Scholarship, to integrate my training in systems biology with the traditional medicine of my grandmother. Since coming to America, I have started seven companies and created jobs across Massachusetts. Given my background, I am passionate about innovation, health care, education, and complex systems thinking in governance. And I am one of you -- a hard worker, inventor, entrepreneur, problem solver and American. It's time we elected one of US to create the life we deserve.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

The Founders of this great country were soldiers, farmers, engineers, plumbers, blacksmiths, etc. They were not career politicians or lawyer-lobbyists -- they had skills and solved problems. Politicians and lawyers' business model is to never solve problems. In fact, they make more money the longer a problem is NOT solved. That's why I would support term limits for all elected officials.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have a proven track record of understanding problems, and actually solving problems. I have four degrees from MIT, including my PhD. I have been a serial entrepreneur, starting multiple and successful high-tech companies. Most importantly, I have been a political activist throughout my life. I fought to secure workers' rights at MIT, including poor black and white people. I burned the South African flag to protest MIT's investments there during Apartheid. I protested against the War in Iraq. I have a unique talent stack of education, complex systems thinking, entrepreneurship, and political activism that makes me well qualified to be a U.S. Senator for the the 21st century.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Solve problems in a decentralized, self-organizing matter that democratizes power within the people. This means I would encourage free speech and discourse among the people.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Innovation doesn't come from a centralized, fragile military-academic-industrial complex; it comes from everyday people coming up with antifragile ways to improve the lives of each other. And my election to the U.S. Senate means that any hard working, everyday American like me can and should serve in public office and then return to their private lives and family.

What qualities does the U.S. Senate possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The ability to serve a 6-year term. Six years is enough to effect real change in our body politic.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for senators to have previous experience in government or politics?

It is important for senators to have skills and be activists in politics, but it is absolutely unimportant for senators to be career politicians and lawyer-lobbyists.