sometimes the very technology that is
meant to connect us
divides us I'm not worried about
artificial intelligence giving computers
the ability to think like humans
I'm more concerned about people thinking
like computers without values or
compassion without concern for
consequences
hello MIT
thank you
congratulations class of 17.
I especially want to thank chairman
Millard president reiff distinguished
faculty trustees
and members of the class of 1967.
it's a privilege to be with you today
with your families and your friends
on such an amazing important day
it might tea and Apple share so much
we both love hard problems we love to
search for new ideas
and we especially love finding those
ideas the really big ones
the ones that can change the world
I know MIT has a proud tradition of
pranks
or as you would call them hacks
and you've had pulled off some pretty
great ones over the years
I'll never figure out how MIT students
sent that Mars Rover to the Krusty oval
or put a propeller beanie on the great
Dome
or how you've obviously taken over the
president's Twitter account
I can tell college students are behind
it because most of the tweets happen at
3am
[Applause]
I'm really happy to be here
today is about celebration
and you have so much to be proud of
as you leave here to start the next leg
of your journey in life
there will be days where you will ask
yourself
where is all this going
what is the purpose
what is my purpose
I'll be honest
I asked myself that same question
and it took me nearly 15 years to answer
it
Maybe by talking about my journey today
I can save you some time
the struggle for me started early on
in high school
I thought I'd discover my life's purpose
when I could answer that age-old
question what do you want to be when you
grow up
nope
in college I thought I would discover it
when I could answer what's your major
not quite
I thought that maybe I discover it when
I found a good job then I thought I just
needed to get a few promotions
that didn't work either
I kept convincing myself
that it was just over the horizon
around the next corner
nothing worked
and it was really tearing me apart
of me kept pushing ahead to the next
achievement
and the other part kept asking
is this all there is
I went to grad school at Duke looking
for the answer
I tried meditation
I sought guidance and religion
I read great philosophers and authors
and in a moment of youthful indiscretion
I might even
have experimented
with a Windows PC
and obviously that didn't work
after countless twists and turns at last
20 years ago
my search brought me to Apple
at the time the company was struggling
to survive
Steve Jobs had just returned to Apple
and had launched a think different
campaign
he wanted to empower The Crazy Ones The
Misfits the Rebels the troublemakers the
realm pegs and the square holes to do
their best work
if we could just do that
Steve knew we could really change the
world
before that moment I had never met a
leader with such passion or encountered
a company with such a clear and
compelling purpose
to serve Humanity
it was just that simple
serve Humanity
and it was in that moment after 15 years
of searching
something clicked
I finally felt aligned aligned with a
company that brought together
challenging Cutting Edge work with a
higher purpose
aligned with the leader who believed
that technology which didn't exist yet
could reinvent Tomorrow's World
aligned with myself
and my own deep need to serve something
greater
of course at that moment I didn't know
all of that
I was just grateful to have that
psychological burden lifted
but with the help of hindsight
my breakthrough makes a lot more sense
I was never going to find my purpose
working someplace without a clear sense
of purpose of its own
Stephen Apple freed me to throw my whole
self into my work to embrace their
mission and make it my own
how can I serve Humanity
this is life's biggest
and most important question
when you work towards something greater
than yourself you find meaning you find
purpose
so the question I hope you will carry
forward from here
is how will you serve Humanity
the good news is since you're here today
you're already on a great track
at MIT you've learned how much power
Science and Technology had to change the
world for the better
thanks to discoveries made right here
billions of people are leading healthier
more productive more fulfilling lives
and if we are ever going to solve some
of the hardest problems still facing the
world today everything from cancer to
climate change to educational inequality
then technology will help us do it
but technology alone
isn't the solution
and sometimes
it's even part of the problem
last year I had the chance to meet with
Pope Francis
it was the most incredible meeting of my
life
this is a man who has spent more time
comforting The Afflicted in slums than
he has with heads of state
this may surprise you
but he knew an unbelievable amount about
technology
it was obvious to me that he had thought
deeply about it its opportunities its
risks
it's morality
what he said to me at that meeting
what he preached really was on a topic
we care a lot about at Apple
but he expressed a shared concern in a
powerful new way
never has Humanity had such power over
itself
yet nothing
ensures that it will be used wisely he
has said
technology today is integral to almost
all aspects of Our Lives
and most of the time it's a Force for
good
and yet the potential adverse
consequences are spreading faster and
cutting deeper than ever before
threats to our security threats to our
privacy fake news and social media that
becomes
anti-social
sometimes the very technology that is
meant to connect us
divides us
technology is capable of doing great
things
but it doesn't want to do great things
it doesn't want anything
that part takes all of us
it takes our values and our commitment
to our families and our neighbors and
our communities our love of beauty and
belief that all of our faiths are
interconnected
our decency
our kindness
I'm not worried about artificial
intelligence giving computers the
ability to think like humans
I'm more concerned about people thinking
like computers without values or
compassion without concern for
consequences
that is what we need you to help us
guard against
because if silence because if science is
a search in the Darkness
then the humanities are a candle that
shows us where we've been and the danger
that lies ahead
as Steve once said
technology alone is not enough
it is technology married with the
liberal arts married with the humanities
that make our hearts say
when you keep people at the center of
what you do it can have an enormous
impact
it means an iPhone that allows a blind
person to run a marathon
it means that Apple watch that catches a
heart condition before it becomes a
heart attack
it means an iPad
that helps a child with autism connect
with his little world
in short
it means technology infused with your
values
making progress possible for everyone
whatever you do in your life
and whatever we do at Apple we must
Infuse it with the humanity that each of
us is born with
responsibility is immense
but so
is the opportunity
I'm optimistic because I believe in your
generation your passion your journey to
serve Humanity
we are all counting on you
there is so much out there conspiring to
make you cynical
the internet has enabled so much and
empowered so many
but it can also be a place
where basic rules of decency are
suspended and pettiness and negativity
thrive
don't let that noise knock you off
course
don't get caught up in the trivial
aspects of life
don't listen to trolls and for God's
sake don't become one
measure your impact on Humanity
not in likes
but in the lives you touch
not in popularity but in the people you
serve
I found that my life got bigger when I
stopped caring what other people thought
about me
you will find yours will too
stay focused on what really matters
there will be times when you resolve to
serve Humanity will be tested
be prepared
people will try to convince you that you
should keep your empathy out of your
career
don't accept this false premise
at a shareholders meeting a few years
ago
someone questioned
Apple's investment in focus on the
environment
he asked me to pledge that Apple would
only invest in green initiatives that
could be justified with a return on
investment
I tried to be diplomatic
I pointed out that Apple does many
things like accessibility features for
those with disabilities that don't rely
on an Roi
we do these things because they're the
right thing to do
in protecting the environment is a
critical example
he wouldn't let it go
and I got my blood up
so I told him if you can't accept our
position you shouldn't own Apple stock
when you're convinced
that your cause is rhymed have the
courage to take a stand
if you see a problem or an injustice
recognize that no one will fix it but
you
as you go forward today
use your minds and hands and your hearts
to build something bigger than
yourselves
always remember
there is no idea bigger than this as Dr
Martin Luther King said all life is
interrelated we are all bound together
into a single Garment of Destiny
if you keep that idea at the Forefront
of all that you do
if you choose to live your lives at that
intersection between technology and the
people it serves if you strive to create
the best give the best do the best for
everyone not just for some
than today
all of humanity has good cause for hope
thank you very much and congratulations
class of 2017.
[Applause]
[Music]
thank you
[Music]