'Facts. Rule of law. Democracy': Obama on governing
Obama's comments about competence and facts drew applause from a crowd of about 9,000 business leaders gathered at Salt Lake City's Downtown Central Park for the conference.
Obama didn't mention President Donald Trump or answer any questions about him during the conversation with the CEO of Qualtrics — which hosted the event, the Qualtrics Experience Management Summit — but he hit on several points about the state of the country and the Trump administration.
"Things like rule of law, democracy, that whole thing, you know — competence and facts — those are not political, but they also don't happen automatically," said Obama, who left the White House last year after serving two terms. "There has to be citizens who insist on it and participate to make sure it happens. Democracy is a garden that has to be tended."
Obama said he felt confident he was making the best possible decisions during the presidency about issues such as Osama bin Laden and the banking crisis that nearly bankrupted many major American financial institutions because he surrounded himself with smart people who didn't always agree with him. He said he tried to have people around him in meetings who gave a 360-degree perspective about the topic at hand.
"Kind of an old-fashioned guy, I like facts and reason and logic," Obama said, drawing applause and laughter from the crowd.
"Thank you," Obama said. "We've got a fact-based crowd here. That's good to know."
Obama said that because of our polarized society, people "are only getting a piece of the picture" and "we're getting fractured information."
Ryan Smith, CEO of Qualtrics International Inc., a Provo, Utah company that makes survey software and hosted the conference, questioned Obama for about an hour.
Qualtrics was bought last year by SAP for $8 billion. The company makes technology that allows businesses to get feedback from employees and customers. Its customers include Nike, Amazon, FedEx and Lululemon.
The conference attracted several high-profile speakers, including Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group.
Branson, who was the featured speaker immediately before Obama's appearance, delighted the crowd with a few stories about some of the early days of his company. The billionaire said he started his airline company to avoid high fares. He talked about being in a restaurant with two business associates and coming up with the name Virgin.
"The guy on the left was called Simon, the guy on the right was called Richard. I'll tell you this, Simon came up with every other name that you can imagine except the one we all knew was the right — Virgin," he said. "And then finally, Richard said, 'What about Virgin,' and that's how we ended up with that name."
Branson's Virgin Group company has expanded to include Virgin Galactic's venture that is working toward commercial operations for the business that will take passengers on supersonic thrill rides to the lower reaches of space to experience a few minutes of weightlessness and a view of the Earth below. Branson said he hopes to go up in one of his ships in July.
A few members of the audience, including an older man wearing a T-shirt with an American flag design and sporting a gray ponytail, shouted at Branson in protest over his business' immigration policies. Some immigration activists have accused the airline of participating in the Trump administration's "Muslim ban" because of its flights on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
At one point, Obama weighed in on concern about the internet and social media's impact on children and their self-esteem.
"It's making them so absorbed with what is the world thinking about me in a way that we just weren't subject in the same way when we were kids growing up," said Obama, whose two daughters are 17 and 14. "Some of this is figuring out, what's the filter you set up that allows critical information and effective feedback...but just shutting yourself off from the narcissistic consumption of, 'What does he think about me? Am I liked?'"