The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world.

My own answer to the contrarian question is that most people think the future of the world will be defined by globalization, but the truth is that technology matters more. Without technological change, if China doubles its energy production over the next two decades, it will also double its air pollution. If every one of India's hundreds of millions of households were to live the way Americans already do — using only today's tools — the result would be environmentally catastrophic. Spreading old ways to create wealth around the world will result in devastation, not riches. In a world of scarce resources, globalization without new technology is unsustainable.

I read my customers feedback obsessively. The best person to help you is your customer. The first ten people who download your app are the ones who will help refine your product. Your first 100 customers teach you a lot.

I started with very traditional style sushi and Japanese food, but then I went to Peru when I was young (around 23-24), and that’s where I got my Peruvian influences and ingredients. So when I opened my first restaurant in 1987, it was unique because in Los Angeles [at the time] the Japanese restaurants were very traditional.

No doubt. I’ve written at times about the spooky element in writing. You go in each morning, and there’s a blank page. Maybe it takes five minutes, maybe it takes an hour. Sooner or later you start writing, and then the words begin to flow. Where does that come from? You can’t pinpoint it. You always wonder, “Will it all stop tomorrow?” In that sense it’s spooky. In other words, you’re relying on a phenomenon that’s not necessarily dependable. That’s a particular kind of fear but there are other fears in writing of an altogether different sort.