Imane Anys (AKA Pokimane) visits WIRED to answer her most searched questions from Google.
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TechTranscript
00:00 Hi, I'm Poki, and this is the Wired Autocomplete Interview, and I'm really nervous.
00:04 [MUSIC]
00:07 I don't know what people have been Googling, and I'm about to find out.
00:10 [MUSIC]
00:13 What Poki?
00:14 What is Poki?
00:16 Um, sometimes I don't even know.
00:18 I'm a content creator, streamer, gamer, vlogger.
00:22 I kind of do a little bit of everything.
00:24 I am me.
00:25 She, her.
00:27 Yeah.
00:28 So actually, the reason this is my name is because obviously gaming, I play a lot of Pokemon, and my name is Iman.
00:35 So it's supposed to be a play on words.
00:37 That's why it's actually supposed to be pronounced "Pokemon," but I understand in English this just reads as "Poke-main."
00:44 So I'm never mad at people when they pronounce it that way.
00:46 I'm like, "Call me whatever you want, as long as it's nice."
00:50 What made "Poke-main" famous?
00:53 Streaming.
00:56 First year, 100% streaming.
00:58 I've been streaming since I was 17.
01:01 It's been like nine years.
01:03 I started doing it as a hobby in high school, and then it became my full-time job.
01:08 And then I started making content on all platforms, and that's how people know me, I guess.
01:13 What is Pokemon's Valorant rank?
01:18 My peak was Immortal, but that was about a year and a half ago.
01:24 Right now, I'm like Diamond.
01:25 Actually, it's a new season, so I'm not even ranked yet.
01:28 But last season, I was Diamond.
01:30 What is Pokemains nationality?
01:33 I was born in Morocco.
01:35 I lived there until I was four years old, little baby.
01:38 And then we immigrated to Canada.
01:40 I lived there until I was about 20, 21, and then I moved to LA.
01:44 And you know what? Maybe I'll move again soon.
01:46 Doing the world tour, okay?
01:51 That was so weak.
01:52 I'll do the next one harder.
01:55 Does Pokimane like Pokemon?
01:59 No, actually I named myself after that because I hate it.
02:02 Of course.
02:03 I think I've never met someone in the world who doesn't like Pokemon.
02:08 I feel like that would be a really big red flag.
02:09 I don't play it as often now as I did growing up,
02:12 but it's one of those things where like, you know, it's near and dear to my heart because it's so nostalgic.
02:16 My favorite Pokemon is Eevee because it's like picking seven, eight answers in one.
02:23 Is that cheating? I hope not.
02:24 Does Pokimane still stream?
02:27 I do, just not as often as I did before, you know?
02:30 When I first started in my career, it was like six days a week.
02:33 Then it was like five.
02:34 Then it was four, consistent schedule.
02:37 And now it's like three, two times.
02:39 I'll see you when I see you.
02:40 And I like it like that because now I'm able to do so many other things, luckily.
02:44 But I still try to make content regularly, pursue some new things.
02:49 I have some exciting projects.
02:51 I just can't tell you yet.
02:52 I'm sorry. Soon. Soon.
02:55 Does Poki play League?
02:57 Not unless I'm feeling severely depressed.
03:00 And I haven't played in a while, so that's a good sign.
03:02 If you get it, you get it.
03:04 And for everyone else in this room, don't worry.
03:05 It's not that day. League is just one of those games.
03:09 It's very intense, but I had my phase.
03:12 I will always love it as the game that got me into streaming.
03:16 Don't forget your roots.
03:17 But I just don't play it that much nowadays.
03:19 Does Pokimane have tattoos?
03:22 This is actually a really good question.
03:23 Because I think most people would maybe assume that I do,
03:25 but I don't have a single one.
03:27 I love the idea of tattoos.
03:29 I love people that have tattoos.
03:32 But if I had one myself, I know I would love it for a few months.
03:36 And then I'd be like, get it off.
03:38 So instead, I really like to opt for henna tattoos.
03:41 Does Pokimane have a Fortnite skin?
03:44 I actually don't have a Fortnite skin, but I have a Fortnite dance.
03:48 It's like...
03:50 The Fortnite team reaches out and they're like,
03:52 "Hey, we want to partner on a dance or emote with you."
03:56 And I just sat and I brainstormed in my little room.
03:58 To me, it was kind of reminiscent of like the TikTok dances
04:02 that were going on at the time.
04:04 I'm also not about to do a freaking backflip.
04:06 I can't do a backflip.
04:07 So that will forever be one of the high points of my career.
04:12 Like having something in a game that represents you,
04:16 especially a game that large, that popular,
04:18 and one that was so impactful to my career.
04:22 It's just like truly, truly a bucket list item.
04:26 I like that one.
04:30 Oh my God.
04:33 Okay, first things first, how you pronounce my name?
04:36 Iman Anis.
04:38 It's not anus, okay?
04:41 I have had too many people in my life be like,
04:43 "Is that...?"
04:45 No, my last name is not butthole.
04:47 Please stop it.
04:49 Where did Iman Anis go to college?
04:52 I went to McMaster University.
04:55 I studied chemical engineering.
04:56 I really, really like and recommend that school.
04:58 I mean, to be fair, I've been out of school for like four years.
05:01 So nostalgic feels.
05:03 I think most universities in Canada are pretty good.
05:05 Can Iman Anis speak Arabic?
05:08 I can speak a little bit of Arabic, not a lot.
05:11 So technically, I speak the Moroccan dialect of Arabic,
05:16 which isn't like full-on classic Arabic.
05:19 I can say most sentences, but maybe I won't remember most words.
05:23 I tend to tell people I speak two and a half languages,
05:26 you know, French, English, a sort of Arabic, a sort of little bit.
05:31 Anyone who's, you know, ESL or an immigrant probably gets what I'm saying.
05:35 Not 100%, but like a little bit.
05:37 Can Iman Anis do magic?
05:39 What do you mean?
05:41 Actually, can I?
05:43 The only kind of magic I do is manifestation.
05:46 Sometimes I'll think so hard about something,
05:49 I feel like I plan out exactly how to get it.
05:52 That's what I consider manifestation,
05:53 not necessarily wishing something into existence,
05:57 but thinking about it so hard that you recognize the opportunity when it comes.
06:01 Aside from that, I wish, I really do wish.
06:05 Iman Anis height?
06:07 Six foot two? Six foot three on a good day?
06:10 Says my Tinder bio.
06:11 No, I'm honestly, honest, honest, honest.
06:14 I'm five foot three and three quarters,
06:16 but I just say five foot four because three quarters, who cares?
06:20 I think it's a very nice average height.
06:23 I'm very content with my height.
06:28 Mama!
06:30 How is Poke? That's so cute!
06:34 Whoever's Googling that, okay.
06:38 Honestly, I'm pretty good today.
06:39 Not a lot of people ask, so thank you.
06:41 I'm doing swell.
06:42 How to join Poke?
06:45 I already know what this is.
06:46 Discord, Discord server, Discord server, Discord server.
06:48 If you want to join, to join our community,
06:51 it's discord.gg/pokey.
06:52 If you're doing it for malicious purposes, I don't know.
06:55 How do you join?
06:56 How?
06:57 Old.
06:57 Pokey, where's the is?
06:59 That's how I know it's little kids looking this up.
07:02 I am 27.
07:03 My birthday was a month and a half ago.
07:06 I feel like I'm at a good age.
07:08 It's like I've been through my early 20s.
07:10 Now I'm a little more secure and hopeful for the future.
07:13 What's next?
07:14 A family?
07:15 Who knows?
07:17 Probably not soon.
07:18 How much Pokey main worth?
07:23 See, networks are kind of complicated.
07:25 It's supposed to be how much is in your bank account,
07:27 how much are your assets worth,
07:29 and I feel like net worths tend to be overestimated
07:33 because they don't consider LA taxes.
07:36 So I'm going to stick with priceless.
07:39 ASMR.
07:41 Whoa, Pokey main.
07:44 In Free Guy.
07:45 I'm actually the main character, the guy.
07:47 No, actually, sometimes I wonder,
07:49 because so many people have been like,
07:51 "Oh, I saw you in Free Guy."
07:52 I'm like, "You guys don't think I'm the girl actress?"
07:56 Because in Free Guy, I'm just me.
07:58 I'm literally playing me.
07:59 I don't know how to act.
08:01 I play video games.
08:02 What do I know about acting?
08:03 I thought it was so cool that in the movie,
08:06 instead of just hiring people to act as the streamers,
08:09 they got actual streamers to give our actual reactions.
08:12 I feel like that was a sign
08:14 that they actually wanted to make a movie
08:16 that people who are gamers like and think is legit,
08:20 and it gave an authentic feel, you know?
08:23 Who is Pokey's brother?
08:26 Actually, he was the reason that I got into gaming.
08:29 Because, you know, when you're the younger sibling,
08:31 you see everything your older sibling does,
08:32 and you're like, "I want to do that.
08:34 Mom, Dad, let me do that."
08:36 I honestly just played all the games that he played,
08:38 and when I wanted to become a streamer
08:40 and wanted to go full-time,
08:42 I was able to get him to help convince my parents
08:45 that what I was doing was legit, you know?
08:47 Gaming is still one of the ways that we stay in touch.
08:49 We play Valorant together.
08:51 He's played on my stream with me so many other times.
08:54 Maybe someday he'll stream too.
08:55 I don't know. Keep an eye out for that.
08:57 Who is Pokey in my math solution?
09:02 Oh, my God.
09:04 This is really embarrassing to talk about publicly, okay?
09:08 There's a meme?
09:10 I can't even tell you the whole meme.
09:12 -I have it. -You have it?
09:13 -If you want it. -For sure.
09:15 Who is Pokey in math, my solution?
09:19 In history, my queen.
09:21 In art, my canvas.
09:23 In science, my oxygen.
09:25 -Ah! -In geography, my world.
09:26 [laughs]
09:28 It's a very, very cute meme.
09:30 It's wholesome.
09:31 Is Pokey kid-friendly?
09:38 Sometimes.
09:39 If I were to give myself a grade on that,
09:42 I'd give myself, like, a 70.
09:44 So 30% of the time, no.
09:46 But 70% of the time, I'm fine.
09:48 Why does Pokey have WGM?
09:52 Okay, for those that don't know, this is a chess term.
09:55 It means "woman grandmaster."
09:58 It's a very, very high-ranked term.
10:01 And I was in a chess tournament, so they gave me that title,
10:04 even though I'm, like, so far from being, like, at that rank.
10:07 But they gave it to me as a joke.
10:09 And I think people saw that, and they're like,
10:10 "Why does she have that title?"
10:12 It's a joke.
10:13 Thank you to them, though.
10:14 Makes people think I'm better than I am.
10:17 Pokey main...
10:19 Gaming chair.
10:20 Right now, I have a Herman Miller.
10:23 Do I think it's comfortable?
10:25 Kinda.
10:26 I'm kind of uncomfortable 'cause my posture is so good.
10:29 So I force myself to sit in it.
10:31 This isn't the best, but it's good for me.
10:34 And before that, I had, like, a random...
10:36 One of those gaming chairs.
10:37 Like, the ones that kind of look like racing chairs.
10:39 I actually kind of like those.
10:40 I really do.
10:41 They're, like...
10:42 They keep you so steady.
10:44 Where is Pokey?
10:46 Right now!
10:47 I am in Los Angeles, on set...
10:51 With Wired.
10:52 [laughs]
10:54 The search that I both liked and it caught me off guard was,
10:58 "How is Pokey main?"
10:59 Like, does someone out there really wanna know?
11:01 That's really nice!
11:02 That's really nice!
11:04 Thank you so much!
11:05 I'll see you guys in the next one.
11:07 Bye!
11:08 (upbeat music)
11:10 (upbeat music)