Duke University Commencement Speech by Tim Cook

Picture yourself among the sea of graduates at Duke University in 2018, listening to Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, delivering the commencement speech. You’d likely be intrigued by his words as he emphasizes the need for fearlessness and disruption in the technology sector.

Cook’s speech not only explores the potential of your generation to effect change, but also the ethical considerations that should accompany technological advancement. His words leave you curious, don’t they? Wondering what these statements might mean for the future of technology and your role in it?

Background

Back in 1988, Tim Cook, the current CEO of Apple, earned his MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, marking a significant chapter in his academic journey. His time at Duke’s Fuqua School was a transformative period. While he already had a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from Auburn University, the Fuqua School of Business provided the platform for Cook to hone his strategic and leadership skills.

His affiliation with Duke University didn’t end at graduation. As a testament to his achievements and influence, Cook was invited to join the university’s Board of Trustees in 2015. This prestigious appointment is a recognition of his exceptional leadership capabilities and commitment to the Duke community.

In 2018, Cook had the honor of delivering the commencement address at Duke University’s graduation ceremony. His speech was a powerful testament to his journey, echoing his values of integrity, humility, and the importance of staying true to one’s roots.

As a distinguished alumnus and board member, Cook’s connection with Duke University and especially the Fuqua School of Business, continues to be a significant part of his impressive career journey.

Key Takeaways

Here are 4 key takeaways from Tim Cook’s 2018 Duke University Commencement Speech that highlight the core of ethical leadership, privacy’s value, and the courage to uphold values in innovation:

• Cook emphasizes that innovation should be coupled with ethical considerations, advocating for technology that enriches lives without compromising privacy or values.
• Highlighting Apple’s commitment to 100% renewable energy, Cook challenges the graduates to consider the ecological impact of their future endeavors.
• Through personal anecdotes, Cook inspires graduates to question the existing state of affairs and to dare to think differently in pursuit of progress.
• In an era where data is gold, Cook stresses the significance of privacy, positioning it as a fundamental right in the technological landscape.

Story

As we delve into Tim Cook’s inspiring address to the graduates, his speech emerges as a beacon for those standing at the precipice of the future.

Cook’s narrative weaves through the essence of innovation, ethical responsibility, and the courage to challenge the status quo, offering a visionary roadmap for navigating the complexities of the modern world.

Let’s delve into his insights:

Themes Explored in the Speech

In his speech, Cook highlighted several key themes aimed at inspiring the graduating class. He emphasized the need to ‘dare to think,’ encouraging students to challenge norms and question existing systems. Cook urged students to ‘reject the excuse’ that effecting change is too difficult, underlining the importance of tenacity and resilience. Furthermore, he motivated students to ‘choose a different path,’ advocating for innovation and creativity over following pre-established tracks.

Cook also underscored the critical significance of ethical responsibility, particularly within the tech industry. He highlighted the importance of personal growth and self-improvement, urging students to never stop learning. These themes not only resonate with the values of the school but also provide a roadmap for graduates as they embark on their journeys beyond Duke University. Tim Cook’s 2018 commencement speech stands as a powerful reminder of the impact that thoughtful, committed individuals can have on the world.

Cook’s Take on Technological Progress

In examining Cook’s perspective on technological progress, it’s clear that his emphasis on leadership, growth, and ethics extends to his vision for the future of the tech industry. Cook urges you to break with conventional wisdom, to question the status quo, and to drive meaningful change. As a Fuqua alumnus, Cook’s advice is both thoughtful and respectful, urging you not just to adapt technology but to mold it for the greater good.

Cook’s take on technological progress isn’t just about innovation, but also about preserving your right to privacy. He criticizes the common practice of trading away your right to privacy for digital services. In Cook’s view, privacy is a fundamental right, not a luxury.

He calls for a responsible approach to technology, emphasizing that it shouldn’t be used at the expense of ethical considerations. Cook firmly believes in technology’s power to bring about positive change, but underscores that its use should be balanced with respect for individual privacy and human values. His speech is a call to arms for the next generation of leaders to steer technological progress in a direction that’s beneficial for all of humanity.

Addressing Contemporary Issues

Turning to contemporary issues, Tim Cook’s speech at the Duke University commencement ceremony marked a pivotal moment where he challenged the graduates to question the status quo and pioneer positive changes in their communities and the world at large. Cook, an Auburn University alumnus, Business and a member of the university’s board of trustees, used his platform to address pressing matters of our time.

He emphasized the need to challenge norms and push for progress. He criticized companies, indirectly Facebook, for their approach to privacy and contrasted it with Apple’s commitment to minimal user data collection. Encouraging the use of technology for positive change, not just the launch of new products like the iPad Pro, but to foster societal advancement. As a member of the university’s board, he underscored the responsibility attached to technological usage. He reminded graduates of their generation’s power in instigating change and the importance of standing up for what’s right.

In addressing contemporary issues, Cook affirmed the role of technology in societal progress, and urged the new graduates to use their skills and knowledge for the betterment of society.

Learnings

In Tim Cook’s Duke University Commencement Speech, there are 3 key learnings. Let’s delve into each:

The Intersection of Technology and Ethics

Tim Cook advocates for a balanced approach to innovation, emphasizing ethical considerations alongside technological advancements:

• Navigating Innovation with Integrity: Urges the importance of aligning technological advancements with ethical standards, ensuring that innovation is conducted with integrity.
• Prioritizing User Privacy: Stresses that the protection of user privacy must be a foundational element in the design and deployment of technology, serving as a critical guideline for future developments.
• Sustainability as a Core Value: Challenges the notion that environmental conservation and technological progress cannot coexist, advocating for sustainability to be embedded within the innovation process.

This perspective underscores the need for a responsible and ethical approach to technological development, highlighting privacy and sustainability as key priorities.

Challenging the Status Quo

Cook encourages stepping beyond conventional boundaries to drive meaningful change:

• Embracing Risk for Greater Reward: Highlights the importance of venturing outside comfort zones and embracing calculated risks to achieve substantial impact.
• The Power of Diverse Thinking: Emphasizes the value of diversity in thought and perspective for challenging existing norms and generating innovative solutions.
• Commitment to Social Responsibility: Calls upon graduates to use their talents and technologies for societal benefit, underlining the responsibility of leaders to address and solve societal issues.

Cook’s message inspires a commitment to innovation, diversity, and social responsibility, urging future leaders to challenge the status quo in pursuit of progress and positive change.

Building a Legacy of Positive Impact

Cook motivates graduates to lead with intention, aiming to create a lasting positive influence through their actions:

• Leading with Purpose: Encourages leading with a clear and meaningful purpose, aiming to make a significant and positive mark on the world through one’s contributions.
• Advocacy for Global Solutions: Urges a consideration of the global scale of contemporary challenges, advocating for approaches that tackle issues like global warming, inequality, and privacy.
• Fostering a Culture of Giving Back: Defines success not only by personal or professional achievements but also by the capacity to contribute positively to others’ lives, thereby generating a widespread impact.

Cook’s vision for a legacy of positive impact emphasizes purpose-driven leadership, global problem-solving, and a commitment to contributing to the greater good, setting a high standard for future leaders and innovators.

Tim Cook’s Duke University Commencement Speech

Hello, Blue Devils! It’s great to be back.

It’s an honor to stand before you—both as your commencement speaker and a fellow Duke graduate.

I earned my degree from the Fuqua School in 1988. In preparing for this speech, I reached out to one of my favorite professors from back then. Bob Reinheimer taught a great course in Management Communications, which included sharpening your public speaking skills.

We hadn’t spoken for decades, so I was thrilled when he told me: he remembered a particularly gifted public speaker who took his class in the 1980s…

With a bright mind and a charming personality!
He said he knew—way back then—this person was destined for greatness.

You can imagine how this made me feel. Professor Reinheimer had an eye for talent. And, if I do say so, I think his instincts were right…

Melinda Gates has really made her mark on the world.

I’m grateful to Bob, Dean Boulding, and all of my Duke professors. Their teachings have stayed with me throughout my career.

I want to thank President Price, the Duke Faculty, and my fellow members of the Board of Trustees for the honor of speaking with you today. I’d also like to recognize this year’s honorary degree recipients.

And most of all, congratulations to the class of 2018!

No graduate gets to this moment alone. I want to acknowledge your parents, grandparents and friends here cheering you on, just as they have every step of the way. Let’s give them our thanks.

Today especially, I remember my mother, who watched me graduate from Duke. I wouldn’t have been there that day—or made it here today—without her support.

Let’s give our special thanks to all the mothers here today, on Mother’s Day.

I have wonderful memories here. Studying—and not studying—with people I still count as friends to this day. Cheering at Cameron for every victory.

Cheering even louder when that victory is over Carolina.

Look back over your shoulder fondly and say goodbye to act one of your life. And then quickly look forward. Act two begins today. It’s your turn to reach out and take the baton.

You enter the world at a time of great challenge.

Our country is deeply divided—and too many Americans refuse to hear any opinion that differs from their own.

Our planet is warming with devastating consequences—and there are some who deny it’s even happening.

Our schools and communities suffer from deep inequality—we fail to guarantee every student the right to a good education.

And yet we are not powerless in the face of these problems. You are not powerless to fix them.

No generation has ever held more power than yours. And no generation has been able to make change happen faster than yours can. The pace at which progress is possible has accelerated dramatically. Aided by technology, every individual has the tools, potential, and reach to build a better world.

That makes this the best time in history to be alive.

Whatever you choose to do with your life…

Wherever your passion takes you.

I urge you to take the power you have been given and use it for good. Aspire to leave this world better than you found it.

I didn’t always see life as clearly as I do now. But I’ve learned

The greatest challenge of life is knowing when to break with conventional wisdom.

Don’t just accept the world you inherit today. Don’t just accept the status quo.

No big challenge has ever been solved, and no lasting improvement has ever been achieved, unless people dare to try something different. Dare to think different.

I was lucky to learn from someone who believed this deeply. Someone who knew that changing the world starts with “following a vision, not a path.” He was my friend and mentor, Steve Jobs.

Steve’s vision was that great ideas come from a restless refusal to accept things as they are. And those principles still guide us at Apple today.

We reject the notion that global warming is inevitable.That’s why we run Apple on 100% renewable energy.

We reject the excuse that getting the most out of technology means trading away your right to privacy.

So we choose a different path: Collecting as little of your data as possible. Being thoughtful and respectful when it’s in our care. Because we know it belongs to you.

In every way, at every turn, the question we ask ourselves is not ‘what can we do’ but ‘what should we do’.

Because Steve taught us that’s how change happens. And from him I learned to never be content with things as they are.

I believe this mindset comes naturally to young people…and you should never let go of that restlessness.

So today’s ceremony isn’t just about presenting you with a degree, it’s about presenting you with a question.

How will you challenge the status quo? How will you push the world forward?

Fifty years ago today—May 13th, 1968—Robert Kennedy was campaigning in Nebraska, and spoke to a group of students who were wrestling with that same question.

Those were troubled times, too. The U.S. was at war in Vietnam. There was violent unrest in America’s cities. And the country was still reeling from the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King a month earlier.

Kennedy gave the students a call to action. When you look across this country, and when you see peoples’ lives held back by discrimination and poverty… when you see injustice and inequality. He said, you should be the last people to accept things as they are.

Let Kennedy’s words echo here today.
“You should be the last people to accept [it].”
Whatever path you’ve chosen…
Be it medicine, business, engineering, the humanities—whatever drives your passion.

Be the last to accept the notion that the world you inherit cannot be improved.

Be the last to accept the excuse that says, “that’s just how things are done here.” Duke graduates, you should be the last people to accept it.
And you should be the first to change it.

The world-class education you’ve received—that you’ve worked so hard for—gives you opportunities that few people have.

You are uniquely qualified, and therefore uniquely responsible, to build a better way forward. That won’t be easy. It will require great courage.

But that courage will not only help you live your life to the fullest—it will empower you to transform the lives of others.

Last month I was in Birmingham to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination. And I had the incredible privilege of spending time with women and men who marched and worked alongside him.

Many of them were younger at the time than you are now. They told me that when they defied their parents and joined the sit-ins and boycotts, when they faced the police dogs and firehoses, they were risking everything they had—becoming foot soldiers for justice without a second thought.

Because they knew that change had to come.
Because they believed so deeply in the cause of justice.

Because they knew, even with all the adversity they had faced, they had the chance to build something better for the next generation.

We can all learn from their example. If you hope to change the world, you must find your fearlessness.

Now, if you’re anything like I was on graduation day, maybe you’re not feeling so fearless.

Maybe you’re thinking about the job you hope to get, or wondering where you’re going to live, or how to repay that student loan. These, I know, are real concerns. I had them, too. But don’t let those worries stop you from making a difference.

Fearlessness means taking the first step, even if you don’t know where it will take you. It means being driven by a higher purpose, rather than by applause. It means knowing that you reveal your character when you stand apart, more than when you stand with the crowd.

If you step up, without fear of failure… if you talk and listen to each other, without fear of rejection… if you act with decency and kindness, even when no one is looking, even if it seems small or inconsequential, trust me, the rest will fall into place.

More importantly, you’ll be able to tackle the big things when they come your way. It’s in those truly trying moments that the fearless inspire us.

Fearless like the students of Parkland, Florida—who refuse to be silent about the epidemic of gun violence, and have rallied millions to their cause.

Fearless like the women who say “me, too” and “time’s up”… women who cast light into dark places, and move us toward a more just and equal future.

Fearless like those who fight for the rights of immigrants… who understand that our only hopeful future is one that embraces all who want to contribute.

Duke graduates, be fearless.Be the last people to accept things as they are, and the first people to stand up and change them for the better.

In 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a speech at Page Auditorium to an overflow crowd. Students who couldn’t get a seat listened from outside on the lawn. Dr. King warned them that someday we would all have to atone, not only for the words and actions of the bad people, but for “the appalling silence and indifference of the good people, who sit around and say, ‘Wait on time.’”

The time is always right to do right. – Martin Luther King Jnr.

Martin Luther King stood right here at Duke, and said:

                     The time is always right to do right.

For you, graduates, that time is now. It will always be now.

It’s time to add your brick to the path of progress.

It’s time for all of us to move forward.
And it’s time for you to lead the way.
Thank you—and congratulations, Class of 2018!

Conclusion

As you, a young graduate, stand on the cusp of the real world, remember Cook’s words at Duke. He likened our generation to a powerful wave, capable of disrupting the status quo. We possess the power to use technology for good, to address pressing issues, and to ignite change.

So, go out there, be this wave of change he talked about. The world needs you now, more than ever. Stand up, challenge, disrupt, and make a positive difference.

 

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Speech collection