An Immigrant in the Orchard : How I Lost an Election | Ibrahim Bashir | TEDxArdenwood Youth
In this candid and insightful talk, Ibrahim Bashir reflects on his narrow loss in the Los Altos City Council race—and why it became one of the most meaningful experiences of his life. Drawing from decades of experience in tech and civic service, he shares what it means to lead, to lose with purpose, and to keep pushing forward even when the finish line feels just out of reach. A powerful reminder that sometimes, the impact of our efforts matters more than the outcome. Ibrahim Bashir has been creating software for nearly 25 years, a journey he started while earning his Master's in Computer Science from the University of Michigan. He currently works on the product team at Applied Intuition, helping customers build intelligent vehicles. Before that, he scaled the flagship product at Amplitude, new businesses at Box, service infrastructure at Twitter, and the Kindle ecosystem at Amazon.Ibrahim has also been an active civic servant over the last decade, operating as a community organizer and serving as a library commissioner. In the most recent election cycle, Ibrahim ran for a seat on the Los Altos City Council. As a naturalized immigrant and minority candidate, he brought a unique perspective to the race; although he ultimately fell short by a margin of 1%, he managed to execute the most sophisticated campaign in the history of the city. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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