Joi Ito, 2007.

Joi Ito

Born Joichi Ito on June 19, 1966. He is a Japanese entrepreneur, activist, venture capitalist and Director of the MIT Media Lab. He never completed a college degree and is a self-directed learner. At the age of 28, he founded one of the first web development companies in Japan, Eccosys, which eventually became Digital Garage. He also helped establish, and became CEO of, the first commercial Internet service provider in Japan. He was an early investor in over 40 companies including Flickr, Last.fm, Kongregate and Twitter and continues to invest in start-up companies through his venture fund, Neoteny Labs.

In 2003, Ito was invited to join the board of Creative Commons, a non-profit organization focused on developing and supporting legal and technical tools to help everyone from artists to governments, encouraging legal sharing and reuse.

He was selected as a "Global Leader for Tomorrow" by the World Economic Forum, as one of the 25 Most Influential People on the Web by BusinessWeek and as a member of the "Cyber-Elite" by Time magazine.

In 2006 he posted a message on his website saying that his blood tests showed various things that he needed to watch out for and that it "seems like a fat/meat diet right now wouldn't be good for my heart and other things". He read the book Eat to Live by Dr. Fuhrman. Six months later he posted the following message on his website:

Other quotes by Joi Ito:

"Other than some allergies, I've gotten rid every one of half-a-dozen or so chronic conditions including obesity, fatty liver, high uric acid (gout), heartburn/ulcers/stomach acid, nervous tension, sleeping problems and rising cholesterol."

"In my current journey pushing my limits for improving my heath, I've noticed significant changes in my mental state. I'm often euphoric, generally happy, have a much higher tolerance for stressful situations, am sleeping well and am generally extremely energetic."

"The experience is not a scientific experiment. I started exercising almost every day, quit smoking and quit excessive drinking. Each of these things seems to help the other, but I don't think it's just the diet."

"When I started this diet, I thought that it would be a sacrifice and that I would be trading good health for less fun. I am happy to say that I enjoy eating as much or more than when I was eating meats and fish."

"If you've thought about being a vegan for any reason, I suggest you try it. It isn't as hard as it sounds."

"In addition to the wonderful bursts of taste that I now appreciate much more, I also get the happy feeling of participating in this wonderful natural cycle. Mindfully eating a breakfast plate of grilled veggies and fresh fruits is really a joy."

"Possibly because of my new rather non-violent diet, I'm feeling more and more at peace and less and less happy about any cruelty or un-mindful actions on my part."

"For people who might be slightly turned-off by the sometimes salesy tone of Eat to Live, The China Study might be a better first book to read. The China Study is an amazing argument with a large array of citations and references to supporting studies."

One of his favorite vegan restaurants is Millenium, where he likes a dessert called "the Energy Bar":

"It is the best tasting, worst named dessert."

Information and quotes are from his 2006 article on his site Eat to Live by Dr. Fuhrman, his 2007 article on his site Six months of veganism, his 2007 article on his site Mindful Writing, his 2007 article on his site The China Study and a 2011 article on LikeList.