Sonya Yu inked headlines last December by giving the gift of universal admission to MoMA PS1, making the Queens institution the largest in New York to be freely accessible. On the West Coast, where she’s based, the philanthropist serves on the boards of SFMOMA and the Hammer Museum.
What keeps you up at night?
Stagnation. The unknown doesn’t scare me—it keeps me curious. If I stop growing, I stop living, and curiosity is my favorite form of oxygen.
Name an influence of yours that might surprise people.
Airports. Everyone is in between versions of themselves there— slightly anonymous, slightly romantic. I do some of my best thinking waiting to board.
What do you want to see more of in your industry? Less of?
More world-building, less algorithm-chasing. I’m interested in work that ages well, not work that peaks in 24 hours.
What would you wear to meet your greatest enemy?
Pajamas. Effortlessness is the ultimate flex.
What’s been the hardest part of your career so far?
Unlearning the pressure to be easily defined. I’ve realized my lived experience is a mold I get to create for myself. The gray area is where nuance—and real culture—lives.
What’s one work of art that got you through an important moment?
The Book of Lilith by Barbara Black Koltuv. There was a period where I felt unmoored—in work, friendships, love, and even in myself. The book merges mythology with a Jungian lens, and it helped me excavate parts of myself I’d buried. It gave me language for my instincts, sharpened my voice, and reminded me that fire isn’t something to suppress. It’s something to steward.
What’s something people get wrong about you?
That I don’t eat, which is hilarious. Food is foundational in Chinese culture and absolutely my love language. Every plan becomes, “Okay, but what are we eating?” Invite me over and I’ll clear your pantry.
What are you looking forward to this year?
Getting married and launching new products—building a life while building things people can actually live with.
What do you think is your biggest contribution to culture?
Permission. Permission to live like the camera is off—to move like you belong everywhere and dress like you dictate the dress code. Specificity is culture, and I’m always chasing that.
Who do you call the most?
Rodney McMillian. We’re each other’s sounding boards, comedians, and emotional Wi-Fi.
What is your biggest vice? Your greatest virtue?
Vice: boarding passes. Virtue: loyalty. I show up for my people loudly and consistently.
What would you like the headline of your obituary to be?
“The World Was Her Runway.”
Where do you feel most at home?
At a crowded dinner table or five minutes before boarding a flight—anywhere that feels like momentum.
To read more from the 2026 CULT100 honorees, see the full list here.
in your life?
