Tim Cook, Duke University speech for the graduation ceremony: “think differently, do not accept the status quo” [Video]

Apple CEO Tim Cook gave a speech at the Duke University graduation ceremony in the city of Durham, North Carolina.

Cook has sent users to “think differently” (“think different”, the famous motto of Apple, ed) rather than accept the status quo, and leave the world in a better way than how they retold it, following the example of leaders like Steve Jobs, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. There was also an opportunity to talk about Apple’s commitment to protecting the environment and privacy.

Here is an excerpt from Tim Cook’s speech:

” The pace at which it is possible to progress has increased dramatically. With the help of technology, every individual has the tools, the potential, and the possibility of building a better world. This makes this the best time in history to be alive. Whatever you choose to do in life, wherever passion brings you, I urge you to take the power that has been given to you and to always use it. Aspirate to leave this world better than you found it.

I have not always seen life clearly, like today. But I have learned that the biggest challenge in life is knowing when to break with conventional knowledge. Do not just accept the world as you have inherited it. Do not accept the status quo. No major challenge is overcome, and no lasting improvement is achieved, if not by people who dare to try something different. You dare, think differently.

I am lucky to have learned all this from someone who believed deeply in this thought – someone who knew that changing the world begins by following a vision, not a path. I’m talking about my friend and mentor, Steve Jobs.

According to Steve’s vision, the best ideas come from a restless refusal to accept things as they are, and this principle still leads us to Apple today. We reject the idea that global warming is inevitable – which is why Apple is 100% powered by renewable energy. We reject the excuse that getting the most out of technology means giving up the right to privacy. So we choose a different path: collect as few data as possible on users, and treat with care and with respect what we have in our hands. »