Governor Kathy Hochul emphasized New York’s drive to be a global leader in innovation and technology during her recent fireside chat with Sade Baderinwa. She made it clear that the future belongs to those who harness the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI), stating, “Whoever owns AI owns the future.” To ensure New York leads the way, Hochul secured $275 million in funding for the next Supercomputer. Highlighting New York’s thriving media and film production scene, she shared her efforts to attract major Hollywood producers by promoting the state’s incentives, workforce training programs, and high-caliber talent. Hochul emphasized that success breeds more success, as more projects and jobs flow into New York, attracting the creative minds that the city temporarily lost during the pandemic.
A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for being here. And Governor, thank you for joining us today.
Governor Hochul: Thank you. Happy to be here.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: You know, I just came back from being in Philadelphia covering the presidential debate, and I couldn’t help being here today, thinking about you and thinking about Kamala Harris. I mean, she’s a trailblazing woman — the first in so many different categories, like yourself being the first woman as New York Governor — but also, in terms of law and your public service. And I wanted to know, what does it mean to you seeing another woman like that, holding that position?
Governor Hochul: It’s extraordinary, but I have to take note of the fact that you got an award from the New Jersey Governor. I can get you a bigger one.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: Okay. I like that.
Governor Hochul: Let’s set the ground, we’re very competitive here in New York.
You know, it’s almost magical to have been there at the convention — and I had the privilege of speaking Monday night at 9:02 p.m., and the next speaker was Kamala Harris when she gave a preview of what she was going to be talking about on Thursday. And just to see her — you know, getting ready to go out there — I looked at her as not only someone who’s made it, but someone who probably has been wildly underestimated, as women often are, throughout her career.
So, people thinking that she’s there because she happened to be in the right place at the right time, and there’s an opportunity and she stepped up — okay, running for district attorney in a major American city is not a small thing for a woman to do — trailblazer there. Becoming the State Attorney General of the largest state in our nation shows you’ve got something there as well. And then to be a United States Senator before she became Vice President.
So, I get annoyed with people who act like she came out of nowhere and, “How is she going to do in the debate? Is she going to be as tough as the other ones?” Like, give her a break. I mean, she’s been through countless debates. I feel like as someone who’s been there — wildly underestimated throughout career, you know — I have an affinity with her. But also, it’s this sense of pride that our day has come, that we’ll stop talking about the “first”, and now we’re into second, third and fourth and then no one mentions it anymore.
So, I was with her yesterday morning and just said, “You were having fun at that debate, weren’t you?” She’s like, “Yeah.” because I’ve done it before. When you’ve got him on the ropes and you know it. You can’t get smug when you’re up there, but you have this feeling of confidence. And she exuded confidence and a strength that those who did not know her needed to see.
So, I am energized. I’m fired up. And those who say — I had a reporter who asked me out in Chicago, “Well, is this just a sugar high for the Democrats?” You know, “It’s going to plunge.” I said, “I got to tell you this: I can keep a sugar high going for 75 days. The energy will not abate. It just grows exponentially.” So, I’m excited about it. I really am.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: I love that. Well, seeing that there are women here, and certainly leaders in their own right, what do you think that this moment in history means for women in leadership?
Governor Hochul: The best part of this are the little girls. I knew that this position would be important. It meant a lot more to the larger community for me to be the first woman governor. For example, I had just been named governor. I went back to my hometown of Buffalo — I’ll never forget the trailer park where mom and dad started, the diner that I would go to in the neighborhood — and I stopped by the county fair, and a mom brought a little four-year-old daughter up to me and said, “This is the first ever woman governor. That means you can be anything.” And when I heard that, the symbolism of what we did here in New York, but also for the nation — it says to young women and little girls, “There’s nothing stopping you. Nothing at all.” So that’s what it means for all the women. Many trailblazers here. Guarantee it in this room. But we don’t want to be trailblazers anymore. I’d rather be known for our accomplishments than saying “Oh, she was the first.” I’d like that to be the past narrative, not the future narrative for when we talk about people like Kamala Harris when she becomes the next president.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: I love that. You know, you just talked briefly about just growing up in that middle class family in upstate New York. Tell us a little bit about that and how that has influenced you today as a governor.
Governor Hochul: Profound influence. So many of my decisions that I make are based on the knowledge that there’s a lot of people who are still struggling. My family was fortunate to get out of the trailer park. My dad started there working at the steel plant like many Irish immigrants did. His father worked there; his brothers worked there — that lifted us into the middle class. But when dad got that college degree at night while he was working, making steel with his hands, it changed us forever. So, I saw what it did to my family — it created opportunities.
So, education and the job being there — it’s everything. So, when I focus on my priorities, I’m going to focus on affordability. I’m going to focus on the fact that there’s a lot of people — people are wildly successful here in some stratospheres and I’m proud of them. I want you to know that I welcome successful people in New York. I’m not trying to drive you down to Florida. I really am not. And those who are there are starting to regret it. They’re coming back home because I literally go down there and tell them, “You’re coming back home.” Because when we’re successful, it sends a message that we celebrate the risk takers, the business leaders, those who are willing to do the impossible. But we can never forget those that are still back in those small diners and those small towns and those small communities that feel like they’ve been overlooked. So, I go back often, and my story has been built on looking out for the underdog — because I was an underdog starting out. And also, knowing the power we have in government to affect change and to lift people up.
And that’s why I’ve been drawn to this since I was a teenager. My parents were not political, but they raised us as social justice Catholics, which meant we were marching for civil rights. We marched against the war. I was a fifth grader wearing a black armband to protest the Vietnam war and the nuns didn’t understand it.
My parents had to have some conversations about that. But we had, literally, Catholic priests who are very much on the front end of these movements, and they’re still our friends today. You know, they came to my father’s wake. And so, those are influences that I reflect on all the time and made me who I am. Look out for people left behind, but also know the power of government to move these social movements forward. I mean, that’s our job. And also, be progressive and really just make the world better while we’re here, as basic as that sounds. That’s my obligation as a citizen of this world to use everything I have, all the gifts I’ve been given, the privilege of being a governor of the greatest state in the nation — it’s an extraordinary privilege. But use that for good. And that’s what — every decision goes through that filter that started when I was a child.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: Yeah, started when you were 12. You know, I’m thinking about that armband that you had — so, it was really a part of who you were to get into public service. Was there that one moment where you said, “You know what, this is where I want to go, and I know that I want to get into office.” Or something? What was that one moment?
Governor Hochul: When I was in high school, there was an opportunity to join a government studies program. And we would take a bus every day — it was an hour bus ride. A 50-cent bus ride — to go down from where I lived to the City of Buffalo. It wasn’t that far geographically, we just had to go through every neighborhood on the bus. So, I was able to get out of gym class, lunch and study hall, and I’d have an extra three hours a day where I went down and volunteered at Democratic headquarters, because I knew my parents were always having Democratic names in their front lawn. There’s was always, you know — Eugene McCarthy. You know, just goes way back.
And so, I went down there and I met Tim Russert. He was working at Democratic headquarters working to help elect Senator Moynihan for his first race. I got involved a little before I got involved in Hugh Carey’s race, and I had a chance to see a woman running for statewide office in Mary Anne Krupsak.
So, I was probably 14 or 15 back then, but something pulled me to it when I saw these people. I was the only girl in the room, I was the youngest one by far, but I was surrounded by people who helped nurture my fascination in politics. Tim Russert helped me write my first press releases. He took a red pen and killed it. I’m like, “I’m just a kid. I’m in high school. Like, why are you so rough on me?” But he made me better, and we worked on campaigns. And so, I think it was just being in that room and seeing, you know, our Democratic chairman in Erie County — and Antonio knows him — he was also the State Democratic chair. So, Jimmy Carter came through in 76 and I got his autograph, and everybody who wanted to run for statewide office or national, had to come through Buffalo, New York, to kiss the ring of our Democratic statewide chairman. And I was right there with him.
So, I think it was back in those high school times, and also my eighth-grade social studies teacher taught us about government. We took a trip down and I saw the Capitol and I said, “Someday I want to work in that building.” I’ll tell you my aspiration: all I want to do is be a staffer for a senator. I said, “That’s as high as I’m going to go.” It’s all I wanted to do. I desperately wanted to be a senator staffer, maybe help make some policy. I hit that at 26, and I’ve been making up the rest ever since. Yeah, I never foresaw it. But if I can tell one more story, I’ll tell you why I ran for office.
I was always going to be the brains behind the guys who were running for office. I was going to write the press releases, work on communications, work on policy — and I did that. I worked for a congressman, I worked for Senator Moynihan, ultimately. And I was never going to run for office because even at age 35, we had moved back to Buffalo with a couple of kids. I wanted them to be raised with the same grounded values that I had, not to grow up inside the Washington bubbles. So, we moved them back home, and I would go to town board meetings, and I was trying to stop this big Walmart from coming, and I was trying to get, you know, have more housing built for people with disabilities when there was opposition. I was always going to town board meetings. I went all the time. I was so — I was the crazy lady in the neighborhood getting signatures signed and, you know, sending messages off. We had to stop at the Thruway tolls and all that. So, I wasn’t going to run, and all of a sudden, there was an opening on our town board, and a 22-year-old — just graduated from college, living in his parents’ basement, didn’t have a job, didn’t have a house, didn’t have a family — he steps up, and says, “I’m going to run for council.” And I’m looking at myself — 35-years-old, a couple of kids, paying a mortgage, had been an attorney, helped start some businesses, worked for congressmen, was very involved in the community — and I didn’t have what it took, I thought, to run for office, but he did? That was my “aha moment,” right?
And I tell that story to young women and I say, “Where’s the 22-year-old young woman who has enough confidence in herself to step up and say, ‘I’m running for office.’” I want to see more of that. Right? Because I was wrong. I waited too long. I’ve caught up a little bit.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: I think you have.
Governor Hochul: But I also just did not have the sense that I – there were no role models to speak of. Women were not doing this. And this young guy had so much confidence in himself. And I’ll tell you what, an opening came up around the same time, two openings, we both ran, we both won, and he now leads a multi-billion-dollar health care organization. So, he had faith in himself at 22. We’re the best of friends, I’m going to see him again on Friday.
So, we talked about that. He’s as young as my little brother was at the time. But that’s just a story I want more women to hear.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: Yeah.
Governor Hochul: More women should hear that. Have the faith in yourself, have the confidence. And one said, “How do you get confidence?” I said, “You walk into a room like you own it.” Because confidence is mental. No one gives you that. It’s in your head.
How do you feel about yourself? And you walk in with – exude confidence, you fake it till you make it, and eventually you get it. That’s my most basic advice when I’m talking to young women starting out.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: Well, you certainly have it now.
Governor Hochul: I’m faking it till I make it. Someday I’ll really be confident. I don’t know. How am I doing so far?
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: But you know, it took a lot of moxie when you were saying, coming up, you were the only woman in the room.
Governor Hochul: Always. Always.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: And so, that moxiness turns into, “I know it.” You no longer have to fake it.
Governor Hochul: That’s right.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: And so now, what is the goal for you? What is the goal for you personally in this position? And then outside of that, what is your goal for the Governor, for the State?
Governor Hochul: To be the best damn Governor I can be. And every single day is an opportunity that you’ll never get back again. So my poor staff, God bless them, I work them hard because I start out early. I bang out the entire day –
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: How early?
Governor Hochul: I’m up and I have to read all the news. First, I think I closed my eyes like, “What are they saying about me today?” So, I will tell you, I have the thickest skin in the country. You have to have it.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: Well, you have to have it.
Governor Hochul: You have to have it. And I’m blessed to have a husband of 40 years who was a federal prosecutor, United States Attorney under Barack Obama, and he’s done with that. So now, he can go to events with me.
But he looks out for me way back to when I was running for local office. He would get the local Hamburg Sun newspaper. And I’d open it up, and there’d be articles cut out of it, because he was going to protect his young wife from all the negative things that people wrote in ‘letters to the editor.’
To this day, he’ll say, “You might want to take your time reading the news, honey. It’s a little rough out there, but you’re going to be okay.” It’s endearing, but also, I can handle it. I can handle it. These are the slings and arrows that come. And for me, I just want to be, as good as I possibly can be, walk away someday, not too soon, but the day the voters say, “We’re done with you, I’ll be done.” But until then, I’m going to stay in the arena.
And I say the arena because I have a big briefing binder. I have all this homework to do very late at night at the end of the day. And I have still President Roosevelt’s ‘In the Arena’ speech, except in my office, I change it to “woman in the arena.” It’s the woman in the arena who’s getting bloodied and battered and beaten down. And all the timid souls on the sidelines who criticize, they’ll never know the lows, but they’ll never know the highs of great achievement.
So, I’m happy to be in the arena and I’ll take anything that comes with it, because this is something that a kid starting out in Buffalo, New York, never could have dreamed of. And so I love every single opportunity I have to connect with people. I go to places people don’t expect me. I was in Staten Island last night, not exactly a bastion of Democratic supporters, right? But you know what? They matter. They matter. I go there and I say, “Why is it that this borough sends more people to become police officers and firefighters? And, so many wear the military uniform and how we honor them on this day when so many of you, 23 years later, are still suffering.” If I can just give a little ounce of compassion to them on that day, take the ferry over and take the ferry back, and be inspired by their resiliency – and I take so much of these experiences.
But me showing up – which is why I show up everywhere – if it can make someone feel that they matter to a Governor, to us, that’s why I do it.
So, I have very intense long days. If I’m in one borough with only ten events that day, that’s an easy day. But I travel all over, I go everywhere and I go into the belly of the beast. I go where the toughest people may be because I’m going to win them over one at a time if I have to.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: Well, I think that perspective, first of all, where does that come from? Because people can get in the position they become Governor, but you said you try to get everywhere. And you want that person that may not be a friendly district to say, “You know what, she was here, she matters.” Where did that leadership approach come from?
Governor Hochul: It came from being overlooked in my life, not just me, my region. People didn’t pay much attention to – Lackawanna is actually where I was born, Bethlehem Steel. We were a flyover country in our own state. The political power was concentrated in New York City. I respect that. There’s a lot of population, you get a lot of elected officials, that’s how it goes. But the smallest communities, which tend to be more Republican today, also deserve that representation.
So, I show up. I also got elected in the most Republican district in the entire State of New York as a Democrat to Congress. That was never supposed to happen. Never. It was 2011. I had been a county officer, I could have run for Erie County Executive, I was being pushed. I would have been the first woman County Executive. Oh, big deal. That’s exciting. And I almost did. I was being asked to entertain it.
And then there was an opening – you can all search this story, it’s kind of surreal. But a member of Congress on Craigslist decides to solicit more friends. The only advice I’d have, if you’re going to do that and you’re a sitting member of Congress, don’t use your real name, but he did. The disclosure came out, he was gone within hours. His father flew him down to the family compound in Florida and there was an opening.
And this is the greatest conversation I had with my daughter, who was 21 at the time. I said, “Katie, I’ve got a tough decision here. Do I run for county office? I had just won countywide with 80 percent of the vote. I could raise the money, it’s not that expensive. Everybody knows me. I could be the first woman County Executive and win one year from now. Or do I run for a seat with seven counties? They don’t know me in most of them, it’s the most Republican, it’ll cost a fortune to run, I have no chance of winning. What would you do?” And I said that to my daughter.
And she looks at me with these – looking at her mom, she says, “Congress, duh, you’ve got to do Congress.” Okay. In that moment, I knew I could not let her down and see her mother didn’t have the guts to do this.
That changed everything for me. My daughter was watching me to see if I had the guts to do something that was wildly impossible. So, we ran for Congress. It was a special election, three months. It was similar to what Kamala is going through right now. I would take a sprint over a marathon any day. That’s the best way to do it.
But we ran. I went to the diners. I went to the small towns. Again, most of them never even knew my name. Never knew who I was. And so I went to the farms, I went everywhere, I met people. We worked on issues – talked about Medicare and Social Security, went into the senior homes and nobody paid attention. The State Democratic Party didn’t give me the time of day. I asked for help, zero. The national party was silent for a long time until the polls started showing that me going out there in person was making a difference. And then, when they think that you’ve got a chance, DCCC shows up, labor shows up, women’s groups start showing up and all of a sudden we had some momentum.
And we had some pretty intense debates. I know a lot about debate preparation. And we won the debates, and next thing I know, I’m elected. Now, I didn’t even have a place to live, because you’re supposed to start office a couple days later. Carolyn Maloney, who had been supportive of me throughout, she let me stay in a little spare bedroom. We shared a bathroom in Washington because I did go to Congress. But that’s the story. I went out there as well, because that was an impossibility.
I could have gone the easier route, which would have been very significant in my community, and I went for the biggest risk. But it was – I lost it a year later. They had redistricting. Bad timing. Bad timing. I won them over in that district, the Republicans did not like that, so they took out the little Democratic area I had, added two more Republican counties.
And I worked hard. I think people did their own analysis in Washington when I was asking for help. And they said, “You know, we have to be cold hearted and analytical. You can’t win.” So, I was left on my own toward the end with some good supporters, and I lost that seat by one-and-a-half percent.
I probably could have won it with a little bit of help, right? A little bit of help. But actually, am I glad I lost now? We’re good, we’re good.
You know, I look at, I go back to Congress for the State of the Union. I was there this year with some of my Governor friends, Tim Walz, a great friend of mine. We were on the same floor in the House of Representatives. There was one floor in the Longworth building, the seventh floor, sort of where they put all the endangered species. Like, seriously, it’s like the smallest, crappiest little rooms. And they don’t think you’re going to last very long, cause like, you just won unexpectedly, you really shouldn’t be there.
And literally in 2012, most of my floor was wiped out. Tim was our designated survivor. I mean, Tim Walz, he survived. He had the most Republican district in Minnesota when I had the most Republican district here. So, we had very similar voting records. We’re talking about how you hang out with a Democratic heart and values in a Republican district. So, he hung on, and then later we all became Governors. John Carney from Delaware, there’s a number of us. So, we’re kind of smug about that. I’ll have to say this. When we get together and go back to Washington, we’re very glad that we’ve had that experience, have a strong relationship. We understand how Washington works, but when you’re the person in charge and the buck stops with you, it’s phenomenal. And you realize the limits of the power, but how that power can be exercised in profound ways —
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: The importance of it.
Governor Hochul: Right. When you’re a member of Congress in the minority, you just don’t have that. 43 times in my year and a half there, right — big agenda — 43 times to vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. That was the agenda for the Republicans. If I had voted once to repeal the Affordable Care Act, I would’ve been sent back to Congress. And every time I voted against it; I knew it was the right thing for that district. They just didn’t like that. I knew I was signing my, you know, termination papers. I was going to be gone if I did that. But I did it. The rest is history.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: It certainly is.
Governor Hochul: So, there’s something to that, though. I was devastated when I lost that seat. Literally devastated. I thought it was the highest honor of my life. And walking out of there one of my last times, looking back at the Capitol in the night, and it was just so glorious. I thought it was done.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: But you forged on.
Governor Hochul: Carry on.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: Yeah. Well, clearly all of those steps and all of those things that happened to you led you to this position. You know, let’s talk about your time here now as Governor, because looking at all of those and all of those districts, you realize what a district needs, what area needs what, what do I want to do to transform it? And right now, you are currently looking at AI technology. Let’s talk a little bit about that and the importance of it. And what was the genesis of this to say, “I want this in our state?”
Governor Hochul: It’s really simple. New York must be the best at everything, right? We all accept that premise. We must be the best. We must be the greatest. We must be the envy of the world. So, when it comes to a new technology, who owns the future? Whoever owns AI owns the future.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: Putin famously said that.
Governor Hochul: Well, am I quoting Putin?
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: No, we’re not quoting Putin. But he says, who owns that, owns the world.
Governor Hochul: Okay, alright. He took that from me. I said, I guarantee I said that first. I said it at my State of the State last year. So, I don’t want to be copied by him but — we came up with the idea.
I’m surrounded by brilliant people. That’s my talent. I find the smartest people to be my advisors. And I talk to the outside world all the time. Tech NYC, Accenture and Julie Samuels and others. I talk to Kathy Wild a lot about what we’re going to get. We talk about how we can position New York State as the premier global destination for artificial intelligence, what do you have to do? You have to build the nation’s largest supercomputer dedicated to artificial intelligence that is not owned by private companies because right now, the private companies own it. They have the power. How do I democratize AI for good?
So, we came up with this idea and announced it in my State of State address last January. It was a big ask of the Legislature. I asked for $275 million to help fund this. Not always inclined to do things to help businesses. I’ll just put that out there. Some of my challenges, but that being said, at my State of the State, I had a young woman of color, Holliday Sims, University of Buffalo, PhD candidate, who’s using AI right now to help solve some of our social problems, how to improve the adoption procedures and foster care system and social service. So, I knew she was doing this work in Buffalo. I brought her there and had her stand up and described her work on how she’s using AI for public good at the State of the State, and we had them at hello. Next thing I know, she’s being asked by all the Legislators to be on panels, and it’s like, so we created this image of what it actually looks like.
It’s not just about the tech bros in Silicon Valley. It’s about using this power for good in New York. So, I had to raise more money. Private sector companies stepped up in a big way. But I also wanted to make sure that we had academia, our colleges at the table. So, we set up a formula where they could buy into this consortium. We had Cornell right off the bat, and Columbia, and NYU, and RPI, and a host of others.
But then I said, okay, these are the big guys, they can afford it, this is great. I’ve got to get SUNY and CUNY at the table, okay? So, I picked up the cost for SUNY. I wanted to make sure it’s available. And Jim Simons put up the money for CUNY — a very generous act before he passed. Very generous. $25 million. This is how much it cost me. I had to raise $400 million. And so, I did. I raised it. The Supercomputing Center is being built at the University of Buffalo. Not just because I’m from Buffalo. But the space is plentiful. It’s on a suburban campus. Because this is going to be used all over the State. And there’s more plentiful power there. Niagara Falls, a great power generator for the last hundred some years. So, I wanted to make sure we had that started here. And I’ll be making some announcements very soon about how far we’ve come along just in this short time.
So, I have heard from my friends in Silicon Valley that they wish their Governor had done this first because nobody’s going to catch up with us. This is the place. I want to lay down the marker. It is New York State. Get out of our way.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: Because most people think of tech, that’s coming from LA It’s coming, you know, California.
Governor Hochul: They may have been there at the early part, although, you know, we’re the home to IBM and companies that have been around for 114 years. And I was just with Arvind Krishna, the CEO of IBM, is the co-chair of my Emerging Technologies Task Force. We were just together. As well as the representative, Tarika, from Girls Who Code. I wanted Girls Who Code at the table, so we also make sure that this is available for women, women of color in particular. So, the two of them are leading my entire initiative. They just had a meeting at their new offices a couple days ago. So it’s not Silicon Valley and this is from what Julie Samuels tells me, is that New York City is now the number one tech job destination in the country. Okay? My staff said I should fact check that. Is that true? Where’s Julie? I quoted Julie Samuels, so, you know, but whatever, we’ll say it, therefore it is.
But think about that. You know, when I first became Lieutenant Governor, I was going to a lot of the openings and visiting all of our tech hubs here. We were number three. I mean, it was San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Boston, and we surpassed Boston not long ago. And the difference is after the pandemic, people do not want to be in these suburban office park environments. They don’t mind congregating in tight spaces. It’s kind of crazy, but they want to be here — those creative collisions that happen in the workspace, they’re not working from home. They’re showing up and all the openings of new technology centers we have here in the City, but also Upstate.
Governor Hochul: When Micron comes —
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: Yeah. I was just going to ask you about that.
Governor Hochul: Micron gave —
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: You have a $100 billion investment from Micron?
Governor Hochul: The largest private sector investment in American history with Micron coming to Syracuse. And it’s already underway. This was a challenge. You’ve heard about the Chips and Science Act at the federal level. Thank you, Joe Biden. Thank you, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. You made that happen. But all that said was that we’re going to have incentives for companies to not be in South Asia, be in the United States. Well, what brings them to New York State?
I had to go back to the Legislature with my plan at the very waning days of the session a year and a half ago, two years ago. I asked for $10 billion to be able to have on the table, not just for one company, but to incentivize companies to come here if they create a part of the pipeline for silicon chip manufacturers, semiconductor chips. And that was a big move. Got it through.
That helped us with Micron when I could be as competitive as no tax states like Texas, where they were seriously looking. But also, I had a chance to sell them. The CEO who lives in, you know, lives in Idaho now, that’s where they started. Brought him to Syracuse. I actually had to fly to Syracuse in a snowstorm in Albany in a very tiny plane that’s about 45 years old, not the safest thing I’ve ever done. And they said, probably not a good night to fly. I said, “But he’s only in town tonight. I’m going to Syracuse. I’m going to convince him why New York State is the best place to be.” So, we did that.
It was supposed to be about a half hour meeting that went into three hours. I was telling him where to go for the best wineries in the Finger Lakes. Where to vacation in the Thousand Islands. I told him about all of our engineering firms. I told them about the work ethic that exists, as I knew from growing up in the industrial area. You hire someone, and you’re good to your employees, they’ll stay for 20, 30, 40 years. That’s in the DNA of New Yorkers.
And so, I persuaded them about the work ethics we have, and a lot of other issues. The only problem that came out of it was that they said the labor costs would be too high to do it in New York. Because this is a 20-year building project. 50,000 jobs – did I say that part? 50,000 jobs coming, building over 20 years. So, when they said that the labor costs were going to be too high, my next move was to get the head of the central labor council from central New York, you know, labor unions. I said to them, “Would you like to have work for your employees for the next 20 years, or would you like those jobs to be in Texas? Can you work this out?”
I said, “A kid not even born yet can work at Micron. If we get this right, we cannot lose this deal.” I was fanatical about this. They worked it out. Resolve the labor issues. And I also said to Micron, we’re going to help you out, but you have to help our communities. $500 million they’ve committed, the State kicked in as well, to lift up the City of Syracuse. There’s a lot of poverty there. It’s one of the top poverty cities — highest ranking poverty for under 18-year-olds in the country. So, this is why we change people’s lives. I want job training right there. I want you to go into the community and do hiring. They’re doing that right now. And the other thing I said was it must all be sustainable, you know.
Sustainable energy, you must build it this way.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: You have 2.4 million square feet of largest clean room space.
Governor Hochul: Yes, it is, yes it is. And I also said I want you to hire more women. And how are you going to do that? You’re going to build a child care center on site. Guess what they’re building right now? The facility is not even done and they’re already building the childcare center.
That’s what corporate responsibility is all about. I will help make it worth your while to come here. But in return, I’m going to get something back from you. And I want you to raise the bar high on the companies that we’re attracting. Come be part of the New York family. I’ve called more supply chain companies than you can imagine.
You know, we have one that’s almost finished, $600 million investment from Edwards Vacuum out of London. I called them in London, “Hey, you’re missing the big game. You got to come to upstate New York.”
It worked. They’re coming. So, this is what you create. In a fairly short time when you – like I said, you lay down the marker. We’re not going to take no for an answer. We’re going to make it worth your while. And you want to be in New York because this is where the future is.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: You know, I was talking with somebody from Accenture and they said that there was a study in April with TechNYC and that there’s $300 billion in the economy that can be unlocked from A.I. That’s a lot of money.
Governor Hochul: It’s a lot of money. A lot of money. And AI has a role not just in the private sector but in the public sector to revolutionize delivery of government services, make them more efficient, words you don’t always associate with government, but my family ended up being all entrepreneurs and businesspeople.
My siblings, very successful in the tech space, and I was their in-house counselor. It’s another part of my life. So, I understand what’s involved in this, but I also know the opportunities are unlimited. And if I can just give a place, especially in upstate New York, where they – there’s a psychology bordering on defeatism that pervaded this area for a long time.
And it’s not anyone’s fault. This is when manufacturing and textiles and the steel manufacturing all went overseas. That was the end, it was tough to figure out the second act. This is the second act. This gives them a jolt of confidence. And so those are benefits I believe are there. We just have to be smart enough in government not to drive them away to other states that they think are more pro-business.
We are a pro-business state. We have to be a pro-business state or else we don’t grow. We have to grow because I want good jobs for the people who call New York home. The connection is so clear to me as a leader in government. What I have to do to take care of New Yorkers.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: Well, so A.I. is not — you’re not only making this in terms of the State being at the forefront of this technology. There’s not only just a benefit when it comes to jobs, but this also has to deal with national security as well. That’s another benefit, correct?
Governor Hochul: Absolutely. And believe me, we’re under threat. You know, every day when I was in Congress, I was on the Homeland Security Committee. I spent a great deal — I’ve done a lot to increase our protections in state government.
With respect to cyber security, I get briefings all the time. I’ve got another briefing this afternoon as we’re preparing for October 7th, the anniversary of October 7th. And I want the Joint Terrorism Task Force and everybody to tell me what they’re doing. I’ll tell you what I’m doing. We’re going to coordinate here.
So, there’s great possibility here, but also great vulnerabilities. And in government, we have to be ahead of the bad actors. And I’ve increased the capacity of our State Police. And our intelligence gathering operations, quadrupling them in scale because of those threats.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: Let’s turn now to traditional media. I know that it’s been a year since the writers SAG after-strike. Where are we in terms of now? You know, in terms of productions and things like that for the State?
Governor Hochul: Two great areas. I was just sitting down with Bob Iger yesterday talking about how I want more production in New York State. Now, London shouldn’t exist. Forget about Georgia. I mean, this is the plane. So, I’m a little aggressive, as you can tell.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: That’s a good thing.
Governor Hochul: But I say, you know, we have very generous production tax credits because I want to make sure that we don’t lose the business to a New Jersey or a Georgia or Toronto or London.
That’s where our competition is. So, don’t assume — the talent wants to be in New York, by the way, all the talent wants to be here. A lot of them started here, they have friends here, they have family here, but they will go where the show goes. So, we have to continue making it worth their while to do this.
And I, last year, increased the tax production credit from, I’m going to guess here, about $350 million over to $750 million, and increased the length of time for seven years. Now, I’m going to look at how to make that even better, because we’re ahead of most states, but I want to make sure we win that war.
Also, I sat over with leaders on Broadway just about three days ago, I went over there. “How’s it looking? You know, how’s the attendance? What are your challenges?” Again, they said “London, it’s cheaper to do productions” So, okay, I’ve got to look at that. We’ve got to be competitive. Not losing to London.
I spent a semester in school over there, so I just, I don’t want them to beat us in this space. So, I’ve also — I literally get involved and go meet the leadership in their space, talk to them about what else I can do. I mean, if Disney has 6,000 jobs, I say, “How do I get to 7,000?” My next question.
Broadway, you’re having trouble marketing to the downstate, tri-state area that, you know, the business used to get. What are they worried about? They’re worried about crime on the subways? Tell me their anxieties. I’ll continue at it. I just went to the National Guard event this morning. I’ll keep the National Guard on the subways until people tell me they feel safe.
I don’t need to pull them out. Violent crime went down dramatically on the subways. And I don’t know if you would believe this or not, but I’m going to show you the data. We’re — our violent crime, and everyday crime on the subways is down to the pre-pandemic levels of 2017, 2019, when nobody was worried about crime on the subways.
We’re there and we’re actually trending right now to be the safest year in 30 years with the exception of 2009. I have to qualify because you’re all media people and you’re going to check, fact check me. So that’s good data to get out. So, in those spaces, it’s critically important that we have the incentives in place that make us competitive with other states, but also, they know they’re welcome here.
And this is where I can be that ambassador to show up at the plays. I went to see a great play Friday night. Broadway is so happy when I go to a play. I’m happy when I go to a play. That’s a good night for me. But they think I’m going out of my way to promote them. I am, but the play was “Job,” it was fascinating. Go see “Job.” My husband says, “I’m tired of all these musicals. You know, we need something more serious.” So, in a combination to him, that’s how you stay married for 40 years. Every once in a while, he gets a win. So, I don’t know if that answers your question or not.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: Yeah, yeah. No, it does.
Governor Hochul: We got to have incentives and a welcoming attitude and say, “I want more done here in the State of New York.” We have the talent. We have the, you know, the diversity of talent, which is so important to them as well. So, nobody else should be touching us in this space, and we have to do some more work.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: Well, I just want to kind of double down on that. I know that there are at least six major studio projects that are now in the works in New York City alone, including the Sunset Pier 94 Studios project. What is this going to mean for the future of TV and film production in the State?
Governor Hochul: Success breeds success. We have more production here. Others see it when they’re making those decisions. I’ve gone out to — I’ve gone out to Hollywood, and I’ve sat in rooms with all the major producers. I’ve told them about our incentives, our workforce, the apprenticeship training programs, the caliber of the work.
They know it, but they’re going to be looking at the bottom line. And so, I have to always be persuading them. So, when you look at those examples, and other producers see this, they want to be where the action is. So, yes, to answer your question, it is a very positive thing. And I think it’s a really important dynamic for us to be able to point to those projects, all the jobs that are being created and the creative people that gravitate here that we lost during the pandemic.
I was on the phone constantly with Broadway, for example, during the pandemic. And when I became governor, it was still during the pandemic. Because when Omicron was sitting, I gave them a very sizable package of support, so they didn’t go under. They literally did not go under because they’re part of our identity.
Yes, it’s Wall Street. Yes, it’s financial. Yes, it’s — when you think about what sets us apart, right? It is really our creative talent, and when people see productions being made on their streets, it just feels like it’s a cool place to live, and I’m always trying to up the cool factor if I can. I just made that up, but it seems like something we should be doing more of.
But really, when you think about it, I’m trying to get the smartest, the most creative talent here. They do come for business. They do come for tech now. But I want to be the global magnet, not just London and other places, but to have everybody want to be here. And the beneficiaries will be the production companies that can just look out and say, they’re all here in New York.
That’s what I want to continue to strive to do.
Sade Baderinwa, WABC: Well, Governor, thank you so much. Unfortunately, we’ve run out of time. I think we could continue to talk for much longer. But thank you for your time today and what you’re doing for the State.
Governor Hochul: I appreciate it very much.
September 13 2024 Albany New York
Sources: Midtown Tribune news .governor.ny.gov
Big New York news BigNY.com
