CNBC just confused VC Geoff Yang and presidential candidate Andrew Yang
- CNBC accidentally posted an image about the 2020 election with several mistakes.
- It replaced a photo of democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang with VC Geoff Yang.
- The network, which soon apologized for the mistake, also used a photo of Kirsten Gillibrand in place of Tulsi Gabbard.
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Being part of the "Yang Gang" took on a new meaning for the cofounder of Silicon Valley venture capital firm Redpoint Ventures on Monday.
Geoff Yang, the partner who founded the Menlo Park, Calif. VC firm two decades ago, surprised many of his peers on Monday when his face appeared in a chart on TV news network CNBC alongside Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and the other candidates for the 2020 US presidential elections.
While CNBC noted that Yang had raised $16.5 million in the fourth quarter for his campaign, the network had the wrong face, mistakenly identifying the VC investor for Andrew Yang, who also has a tech background and is running under the slogan to "Make America Think Harder."
Predictably, the snafu caused widespread mirth on Twitter.
Yang's Press Secretary Erick Sanchez tweeted out the screengrab, saying "I see Andrew Yang every day, and I can't remember him ever looking like this."
Geoff Yang, who sits on AT&T's board, also reacted on Twitter. He wrote "Ummm. This is @geoff_yang and I am NOT running for President."
CNBC also mixed up candidate Tulsi Gabbard, replacing her photo with former candidate Kirsten Gillibrand. The network soon apologized for the mistake.
In an email to Business Insider, Geoff Yang declined to comment on who he is supporting in the 2020 race. "No comments, but I have gotten hundreds of emails and texts some offering donations! Funny, but makes it hard to get any work done," he said.
Andrew Yang first gained attention for his $1,000 per month universal basic income proposal. Some supporters initially saw his campaign as a meme or a joke, but he's outlasted several more establishment candidates, including Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand. He has not yet qualified for the January debate.