Zing Tsjeng on Ambition, Money and Morality

How much does it matter how we succeed? We admire ambition, but the choices people make on their way to the top can sometimes be harder to celebrate. It's a tension that journalist, author and presenter Zing Tsjeng will explore in Money vs Morals, her keynote at this weekend's Laidlaw Scholars Conference. From her years as Editor-in-Chief of VICE to her Forgotten Women books and the BBC's award-winning Good Bad Billionaire, Zing has built a career examining the people, stories and institutions that shape our understanding of the world. As we look forward to welcoming her to Imperial College London on Saturday, we're revisiting a piece of advice she once offered aspiring writers:

Zing Tsjeng: “Go out into the world and find stuff out for yourself. Speak to people, get a sense of what’s happening around you in society. Don’t just stick to what you know.”

Beyond the Familiar

Zing originally shared these words in an interview with Pam Pam London, when asked what advice she would give young writers concerned that the subjects they wanted to cover might be considered too political. She encouraged them to pursue the issues they cared about, while making the effort to understand the world beyond their own opinions and experiences.

It's advice that finds plenty of expression in her career. As Editor-in-Chief of VICE, Zing oversaw editorial teams in both the UK and US, working across culture, identity and current affairs. Her Forgotten Women series brought renewed attention to the achievements of women whose contributions had been neglected in historical accounts, from scientists and artists to writers and political figures. Her work has also taken her into documentary journalism, presenting VICE News programmes exploring everything from criminal enterprises to the business of crime. It's an unusually varied body of work, and one that makes her a particularly interesting guest for a conference bringing together people from so many different disciplines and backgrounds! 

Money, Morals and the Meaning of Success

More recently, Zing has turned her attention to some rather different historical figures: billionaires. Alongside BBC business editor Simon Jack, she co-hosts the award-winning podcast Good Bad Billionaire, examining how some of the world's wealthiest people made their fortunes, the decisions that shaped their success and the controversies surrounding their wealth.

It's a fascinating starting point for her keynote, Money vs Morals, which promises to bring some uncomfortable questions about ambition and success into the room. How do we reconcile the desire to succeed with the responsibility to do so ethically?  These questions extend far beyond the world's billionaires. At a time when wealth and influence are so often held up as measures of success, it's worth asking what else we should consider when deciding whether an achievement is truly worth celebrating. It's a question that goes to the heart of this year's conference theme, Ambitious. As we think about what we hope to achieve, we must also consider the choices we'll make along the way, the people our ambitions might affect and the principles we're prepared to stand by when success comes at a cost.

Values in Focus

Zing's words speak to the Laidlaw values of #Curious and #Ambitious, alongside the Oxford Character Project virtue of #Judgment. Her advice encourages a willingness to seek out unfamiliar perspectives and question what we think we know, qualities that become particularly valuable when pursuing ambitions that affect people beyond ourselves. Judgment is equally important in deciding how to act on what we learn, especially when success presents difficult choices about what we are prepared to compromise and what we believe should remain non-negotiable.

A Call to Reflect

Ahead of Saturday's keynote, we encourage you to explore some of Zing's work, from Forgotten Women to Good Bad Billionaire, and consider what you'd be curious to ask her. We'd love to know what you're most curious about ahead of Money vs Morals, so do share your thoughts in the comments!