![]() Iranian-Americans have been particularly successful. Collectively, those companies employ 13.7 million people and have revenues of $6.3 trillion - over twice the gross domestic product of the United Kingdom. According to New American Economy, 44% of Fortune 500 companies - including iconic American brands such as Apple, Costco and General Electric - were founded by immigrants or their children. I’ve been blessed with success, but my story isn’t unique. My dad built a mortgage company, where my parents worked long hours to put food on our table. After the Iranian Revolution of 1979, they decided to stay in the United States, eventually becoming proud American citizens. My parents came to America in the late 1970s in search of opportunity and education, and they found both in Kansas City. And little by little, young Americans from immigrant families have started questioning whether they truly belong. It’s been like death by a thousand paper cuts: Little by little, people around the world have begun to wonder whether America is still a land of freedom and opportunity for everyone. The current administration’s anti-immigrant policies have held back our economy and threatened to erode the generous, tolerant spirit that defined our state and nation. But my story has its roots in Kansas: I grew up in Overland Park, the son of Iranian immigrants whose community never once doubted our allegiance to or faith in America.Īs the dust settles from this month’s election, stories like mine show why Kansans should come together and recommit to making our state welcoming to immigrants. Dropbox, the company I co-founded in 2007, has over 600 million users, 2,300 employees and $1.7 billion in revenue. Dropbox co-founder Arash Ferdowsi grew up in Overland Park after his parents immigrated from Iran.
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