Tim Cook Encourages Graduated to ‘Be Fearless’ in Duke University Commencement Address

pple CEO Tim Cook earlier delivered the 2018 commencement address at his Alma mater Duke University last weekend in Durham, North Carolina. In the commencement, Cook encouraged the graduates to “think different” and “’Be Fearless”. On the data privacy policy, he says Apple has taken a different approach from other tech companies, furthermore, he also talks immigration, #MeToo, and more…

Cook challenged student to “think different” rather than accept the status quo, and to leave the world better than they found it, by following in the footsteps of leaders like Steve Jobs, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. He also reflected on Apple’s commitment to the environment and privacy.

“I was lucky to learn from someone who believed this deeply. Someone who knew changing the world starts with following a vision, not following a path. He was my friend, my mentor, Steve Jobs. Steve’s vision was that the great idea comes from a restless refusal to accept things as they are.”

As he has done in the past, Cook also used this speech as an opportunity to draw from one of his own personal heroes: Robert Kennedy. Cook cited Kennedy’s own call to action for young people:

“Kennedy gave the students a call to action. When you look across this country, and when you see people’s 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.”

The ultimate theme of Cook’s commencement address was fearlessness. Cook praised the campaign against sexual harassment. Then, he encouraged the Duke graduates to be fearless, like the women in the “Me Too” and “Time’s Up” movements, and he also praised his respects to Parkland students putting a spotlight on gun violence, fearless and more:

“Fearless like students of Parkland, who refused to be silent about the epidemic of gun violence, bringing millions to their calls. Fearless like the women who say “Me Too” and “Time’s Up.” Women who cast light into dark places and move us to 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.”

Cook earned an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua business school in 1988, and he joined the school’s board in 2015.

Here’s the full transcription of Tim Cook’s 2018 commencement speech at Duke:

Hello, Blue Devils! It is great to be back at Duke and it’s an honor to stand before you, both as your commencement speaker and a graduate.

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

We hadn’t spoken in decades, so I was thrilled when he told me that 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 that this person was destined for greatness. You could imagine how this made me feel. Professor Reinheimer had an eye for talent.

And if I do say so myself, I think his instincts were right. Melinda Gates has really made her mark in the world.

I’m grateful to Bob and Dean Boulding and all of my Duke professors. Their teachings have stayed with me throughout my career. I want to thank President Price and the Duke faculty, and my fellow members of the board of trustees for inviting me to speak today. And I’d also like to add my congratulations to this year’s honorary degree recipients.

But most of all, congratulations to the class of 2018.

No graduate gets to this moment alone. I want to acknowledge your parents and grandparents who are here cheering you along, 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 our mothers here today on Mother’s Day.

I have wonderful memories here, studying and not studying, with people I still count as friends today. 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 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 is different from their own.

Our planet is warming with devastating consequences, and there are some who deny that 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 had more power than yours. And no generation has had a chance to change things faster than yours can. The pace at which progress is possible has accelerated drastically. 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.

I urge you to take the power you’ve been given and use it for good. Inspire to leave the world better than you found it.

I didn’t always see life as clearly as I do today. But I’ve learned the greatest challenge with life is learning 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 changing the world starts with following a vision, not following a path. He was my friend, my mentor, Steve Jobs. Steve’s vision was that the great idea comes from a restless refusal to accept things as they are.

Those principles still guide us today at Apple. We reject the notion that global warming is inevitable. That’s why we run Apple on 100 percent renewable energy. We reject the excuse that getting the most out of technology means trading away your right to privacy. 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 and 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 leaned to never be content with the way things are.

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

Today’s ceremony isn’t just about presenting you with a degrees. It’s about presenting you with a question. How will you challenge the status quo? How will you push the world forward?

50 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 cities, and the country was still reeling at the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, a month earlier.

Kennedy gave the students a call to action. When you look across this country, and when you see people’s 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 or business, engineering or 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. 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 won’t only let 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 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination, and I had the incredible privilege of spending time with women 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 the 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 believe so deeply in the cause of justice, because they knew that even with all of the injustice 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.

If you’re anything like I was on graduation day, you’re maybe not feeling so fearless. Maybe you’re thinking about what job 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. Don’t let those worries stop you from making a difference.

Fearlessness is taking the first step, even if you don’t know where it will take you. It means being driven by a higher purpose than by applause.

It means knowing that you reveal your character when you stand apart, more than when you stand with a 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 students of Parkland, who refused to be silent about the epidemic of gun violence, bringing millions to their calls.

Fearless like the women who say “Me Too” and “Time’s Up.” Women who cast light into dark places and move us to 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 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.”

Martin Luther King stood right here at Duke and said, “Time is always right to do right.” For you graduates, that time is now. It will always be now. It is 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!