Josh: Living the news

From his office window, Josh Hsu could see the West Wing.

It looks exactly like it does on television. Same corridors, same proportions. What those shows can’t convey is what it feels like to actually work in the White House. For Josh, his days were shaped by the news cycle. He would wake up in the morning, read about what was happening, and then go to work helping decide how the government would respond.

As Counsel to the Vice President, every day brought something new. Some issues were consequential. Others seemed smaller, but mattered deeply to someone.  Much of the work never became public, but it shaped what eventually did.

The day might begin with a headline and end with another one critiquing how it had been handled.

“For years, you’re living the news,” he says. “And then one day you leave, and you realize it’s not on you anymore.”

Long before Washington, the foundations of his career were set elsewhere.

Josh was born in Brazil and raised in northern New Jersey by Taiwanese immigrant parents. They worked long hours, six days a week, commuting significant distances to their jobs that were practical rather than aspirational. The goal was to provide both a stable home and  opportunity for their children. They worked those hours so their children would have choices they never did.

He became the first lawyer in his family. There was no roadmap for how to get there. No one to explain how legal careers unfolded. Much of it had to be learned by observing and studying others.

He was eventually pulled into government by an interest in public service. First came the U.S. Senate, and then the White House. 

The work was demanding and intensely scrutinized, but it carried a clear sense of purpose. Decisions mattered beyond any single client or matter. The work was driven by a broader mission.

After his stint in politics, he moved into private practice, focusing on government investigations and high-stake controversies.  He valued the people he worked with and the relationships he built, and the work itself was challenging and rewarding. Over time, though, he realized that what motivated him most was working toward something that was more purpose-driven and mission-oriented.

That’s what pulled him toward Slingshot, where the transition felt less like a departure and more like a continuation of his prior government service.

The introduction came through a friend, followed by a series of conversations. The clarity of the co-founders’ vision stood out immediately: a mission-driven effort to help people, paired with the opportunity to help shape something in a space that was still evolving. AI regulation is unsettled. Mental health is deeply personal. The questions are complex and still being defined.

For Josh, the decision ultimately came down to purpose. His identity has always been closely tied to the work he does. When he speaks to younger lawyers about career decisions, his advice is simple: follow your heart. Choose work where you believe in the mission strongly enough that the effort feels meaningful in itself. It’s the best way, he believes, to build a career without regret.

At Slingshot, his role as general counsel extends beyond traditional legal work. Some weeks involve regulatory questions. Others involve communications, strategy, or producing content. What he enjoys most is helping build something aligned with a clear goal.

“People sometimes think lawyers make things harder,” he says. “At their best, lawyers help teams move things forward and do so responsibly.”

When he explains Ash to friends, he keeps it simple. It’s an AI system designed to help people work through day-to-day emotional struggles. Work stress. Relationships. The kinds of things people carry without necessarily needing therapy.

He understands the skepticism. Technology has earned it. Social media looms large in people’s assumptions about AI. His instinct is not to argue, but to explain how Ash is built differently. It’s designed to push back. To help people think and work through their emotional issues, and then return to their own lives and relationships.

He sees some parallels with the early days of online dating. Initial skepticism. A lot of attention on negative experiences. Then, over time, gradual normalization as more people become comfortable with it and begin hearing positive experiences from people they know. These days, many couples meet through dating apps. With Ash, the goal is improving human relationships, not replacing them. 

Josh uses Ash, but prefers typing to voice. Still a lawyer at heart, he likes information-dense responses that he can go deep on. For him, Ash exists alongside an already solid support system of family and friends that keep him grounded.

He likes to decompress with television, with shows like The Wire, Friday Night Lights, Succession, and Narcos. Shows about systems, incentives, and people navigating complicated environments. For Josh, it’s a way of sitting inside someone else’s system for a while.

Joining Slingshot doesn’t feel like a break from his past. It feels consistent with the choices he has made regarding his career. Work that carries meaning, responsibility, and purpose.

Now, working in Soho, Josh’s view is fire escapes and storefronts. Delivery bikes cutting through traffic. The West Wing vista is gone. In its place is something less defined, but equally compelling: a front-row seat to something still being shaped.