Frank Carbajal on Latino Leadership: From Migrant Farmworker Son to Silicon Valley Voice

Frank Carbajal grew up the son of Mexican migrant farmworkers in California's Imperial Valley, where summer temperatures hit 115 degrees and his mother worked the fields through her third trimester. Today he's the founder and president of Es Tiempo LLC, a co-author of three books on Latino leadership, founder of the Silicon Valley Latino Leadership Summit at Stanford University, and a former keynote speaker in Ken Blanchard's network.

In this conversation with Simma, Frank talks about what it actually means to be Latino in America today — and why that word doesn't fit everyone who could claim it. He breaks down the Bracero Program that brought his parents to the U.S., the "101 Infrastructure Divide" that shows how Latino hands built Silicon Valley while Latino representation in tech sits in the single digits, and why his mother told him being bilingual is a superpower.

This is a conversation about immigration, identity, family, and what it takes to move from picking fruit in the fields to standing in front of executive boardrooms — without ever forgetting where you came from.

What You'll Learn

What the Bracero Program was, and how it shaped Mexican American families in California for generations Why "Latino" is not one identity — and how to talk to people about their background without making assumptions The real numbers behind Latino representation in education, the corporate boardroom, and venture capital How to start a conversation across race and culture without getting yourself into trouble Why being bilingual is a competitive advantage, not something to hide What "the 101 Infrastructure Divide" means and why it matters for anyone working in or with the tech industry How to spot the difference between performative diversity and actual connection

Key Takeaways

Latinos are not a monolith. There are 20 Latin American countries, multiple generations of Latino Americans, and people who identify as Latino, Latina, Chicano, Mexican American, American, or simply as a leader — and all of those answers are valid. The hands that built Silicon Valley are not the hands sitting in its boardrooms. Latino representation in tech leadership and venture capital is still in the low single digits despite Latinos making up over 40% of California's population. Conversations across race work when you start with what's in front of you — food, art, family, a shared interest — not with politics or assumptions. Bilingualism is a superpower. So is resilience. Frank's parents had third- and fourth-grade educations and built a life for their children through nothing but hard work. Leadership, not identity politics, is the through-line that travels across borders, languages, and generations.

Timestamps

[00:00] — Simma's opening: why this podcast exists for anyone who wants to talk across race but is afraid of saying the wrong thing

[02:30] — Meet Frank Carbajal: Es Tiempo LLC, Silicon Valley Latino Leadership Summit, two published books, and the award he's most proud of (hint: it's not the corporate one)

[05:00] — What legacy means in a Latino family

[07:00] — The elephant in the room: why race conversations are crucial conversations, and what "healthy conversation" actually looks like