Amaya Toman Apple CEO Tim Cook delivered the commencement speech at Stanford University. In the course of it, for example, Steve Jobs, privacy in the digital age and other topics were discussed. Today, exactly fourteen years have passed since Steve Jobs gave his legendary speech here.
In his speech, Tim Cook aptly noted that Stanford University and Silicon Valley are part of the same ecosystem, which he said was as true today as it was when company co-founder Steve Jobs stood in his place.
"Fueled by caffeine and code, by optimism and idealism, by conviction and creativity, generations of Stanford alumni—and non-alumni—are using technology to reshape our society." Cook said.
Responsibility for chaos
In his speech, he further reminded that Silicon Valley is behind a number of revolutionary inventions, but that the technology industry has recently become infamous for people who claim credit without responsibility. In connection with this, he mentioned, for example, data leaks, violations of privacy, but also hate speech or fake news, and drew attention to the fact that a person is defined by what he builds.
"When you build a chaos factory, you have to take responsibility for the chaos," he declared.
“If we accept as normal and inevitable that everything can be collected, sold, or even released in a hack, we're losing more than just data. We are losing the freedom to be human,” dodal
Cook also mentioned that in a world without digital privacy, people begin to censor themselves even if they have done nothing worse than simply thinking differently. He appealed to the graduates of the university to learn to take responsibility for everything first, while encouraging them not to be afraid to build.
"You don't have to start from scratch to build something monumental," he pointed out.
"And vice versa—the best founders, the ones whose creations grow over time instead of shrinking, spend most of their time building piece by piece," added.
Remembering Steve Jobs
Cook's speech also included a reference to the legendary Jobs speech. He recalled the line of his predecessor that the time we have at our disposal is limited and therefore we should not waste it by living someone else's life.
He recalled how, after Jobs' death, he himself could not imagine that Steve would no longer lead Apple, and he felt the loneliest in his entire life. He admitted that when Steve became ill, he had convinced himself that he would recover and even be at the helm of the company long after Cook was gone, and even after Steve had disproved that belief, he insisted that he will certainly remain at least as chairman.
"But there was no reason to believe such a thing." Cook admitted. "I should never have thought that. The facts spoke clearly." added.
Create and build
But after a difficult period, according to his own words, he decided to be the best version of himself.
"What was true then is true today. Don't waste your time living someone else's life. It takes too much mental effort; effort that may be expended to create or build,” concluded.
In the end, Cook warned the university graduates that when the time comes, they will never be properly prepared.
"Look for hope in the unexpected," he urged them.
“Find courage in the challenge, find your vision on the lonely road. Don't get distracted. There are so many people who crave recognition without responsibility. So many who want to be seen cutting the ribbon without building anything worthwhile. Be different, leave something valuable behind, and always remember that you can't take it with you. You will have to pass it on.'
Source: Stanford
