ENGLISH SPEECH | MARK ZUCKERBERG: Find Your Purpose (English Subtitles)

President Faust, Board of Overseers, faculty, alumni, friends, proud parents, advertising board members, and graduates of the world's greatest university. I'm honored to be with you today because, let's face it, you accomplished something I never could. If I finish this

speech

, it will be the first time I finish anything at Harvard. Class of 2017, congratulations! I'm an unlikely speaker, not just because I dropped out of school, but because we're technically in the same generation. We walked through this courtyard less than a decade apart, studied the same ideas, and slept through the same Ec10 lectures. We may have taken different paths to get here, especially if you came from the Quad, but today I want to share what I've learned about our generation and the world we're building together.

But first, the last few days have brought back a lot of good memories. How many of you remember exactly what you were doing when you received that email informing you that you got into Harvard? I was playing Civilization and I ran downstairs and looked for my dad and for some reason his reaction was to videotape me opening the email. That could have been a really sad video. I swear getting into Harvard is still the reason my parents are most proud of me. What about

your

first lecture at Harvard? Mine was Computer Science 121 with the incredible Harry Lewis.

I was late so I put on a t-shirt and didn't realize until later that it was inside out and inside out with my tag sticking out of the front. I couldn't understand why no one wanted to talk to me except one guy, KX Jin, who just agreed. We ended up solving our problems together and now he runs a large part of Facebook. And that's why, Class of 2017, you have to be nice to people. But my best memory from Harvard was meeting Priscilla. I had just launched this prank website, Facemash, and the bulletin board wanted to "see me." Everyone thought they were going to kick me out.

My parents came to help me pack. My friends organized a farewell party for me. As luck would have it, Priscilla was at that party with her friend. We met in the bathroom queue at the Pfoho bell tower, and in what must be one of the romantic queues of all time, I said, "I'm going to get kicked out in three days, so we have to go on a date." . quickly." Actually, any of you who graduate can use that line. I didn't end up getting expelled; I did that to myself. Priscilla and I started dating. And, you know, that movie made it look like Facemash was very important to the creation of Facebook.

It wasn't. But without Facemash I wouldn't have met Priscilla, and she is the most important person in my life, so you could say it was the most important thing I built during my time here. We've all started lifelong friendships here, and some of us even families. That's why I'm so grateful for this place. Thank you, Harvard. Today I want to talk about

purpose

. But I'm not here to give you the standard start on how to

find

your

life. Purpose. We are millennials. We will try to do it instinctively. Instead, I am here to tell you that

find

ing your

purpose

is not enough.

The challenge for our generation is to create a world where everyone has a sense of purpose. One of my favorite stories is when John F. Kennedy visited the NASA space center, he saw a janitor carrying a broom and walked over and asked him what he was doing. The janitor responded, “Mr. President, I am helping put a man on the moon.” Purpose is that feeling that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, that we are needed, that we have something better ahead of us to work toward. Purpose is what creates true happiness. You are graduating at a time when this is especially important.

When our parents graduated, purpose reliably came from their work, their church, their community. But today, technology and automation are eliminating many jobs. Membership in communities is declining. Many people feel disconnected and depressed and are trying to fill a void. While traveling, I sat with children in juvenile detention centers and with opioid addicts, who told me that their lives could have been different if they had something to do, an after-school program, or a place to go. I've met factory workers who know their old jobs aren't coming back and are trying to find their place. For our society to continue moving forward, we have a generational challenge: not only create new jobs, but create a renewed sense of purpose.

I remember the night I started Facebook from my small bedroom in Kirkland House. I went to Noch's house with my friend KX. I remember telling him that he was excited to connect the Harvard community, but that one day someone would connect the entire world. The thing is, it didn't even occur to me that anyone could be us. We were just college students. We didn't know anything about that. There were all these big tech companies with resources. I just assumed one of them would do it. But this idea was very clear to us: all people want to connect.

So we keep moving forward, day by day. I know many of you will have your own stories like this. A change in the world that seems so clear that you're sure someone else will make it. But they won't. You'll. But having a purpose is not enough. You have to create a sense of purpose for others. I found out the hard way. You see, my hope was never to build a company, but to make an impact. And when all these people started joining us, I assumed that mattered to them too, so I never explained to them what I expected us to build.

A couple of years later, some big companies wanted to buy us. I didn't want to sell. I wanted to see if we could connect more people. We were creating the first News Feed and I thought if we could launch it, it could change the way we learn about the world. Almost everyone else wanted to sell. Without a sense of higher purpose, this was a startup dream come true. It destroyed our company. After a tense discussion, an advisor told me that if I didn't agree to sell, I would regret the decision for the rest of my life.

Relations were so deteriorated that after about a year, everyone on the management team had left. That was my most difficult moment at the head of Facebook. I believed in what we were doing, but I felt alone. And worse yet, it was my fault. I wondered if I was simply wrong, an imposter, a 22-year-old who had no idea how the world worked. Now, years later, I understand that this is how things work without any sense of higher purpose. It's up to us to create it so we can all continue to move forward together. Today I want to talk about three ways to create a world where everyone has a sense of purpose: taking on big, meaningful projects together, redefining equality so everyone has the freedom to pursue purpose, and building communities around the world.

First, let's take on big, meaningful projects. Our generation will have to deal with tens of millions of jobs replaced by automation, such as self-driving cars and trucks. But we have the potential to do much more together. Each generation has its defining works. More than 300,000 people worked to put a man on the moon, including that janitor. Millions of volunteers vaccinated children around the world against polio. Millions more people built the Hoover Dam and other great projects. These projects not only gave purpose to the people doing those jobs, but they gave our entire country a sense of pride that we could do great things.

Now it's our turn to do great things. I know, you're probably thinking: I don't know how to build a dam or how to involve a million people in anything. But let me tell you a secret: no one does it when they start. Ideas do not come out fully formed. They only become clear as you work on them. You just have to start. If you had to understand everything about connecting people before you started, you would never have started Facebook. Movies and pop culture get this all wrong. The idea of ​​a single eureka moment is a dangerous lie.

It makes us feel inadequate because we haven't had ours. It prevents people with seeds of good ideas from starting to work. Oh, you know what else movies get wrong about innovation? Nobody writes mathematical formulas on glass. That's nothing. It's good to be idealistic. But be prepared to be misunderstood. Anyone who works on a grand vision will be called crazy, even if he ends up being right. Anyone working on a complex problem will be blamed for not fully understanding the challenge, even though it is impossible to know everything in advance. Anyone who takes the initiative will be criticized for going too fast, because there is always someone who wants to slow you down.

In our society, we often don't do great things because we are so afraid of making mistakes that we ignore all the things that are wrong today if we do nothing. The reality is that anything we do will have problems in the future. But that can't stop us from starting. So what are we waiting for? It's time for our public works to define our generation. How about stopping climate change before we destroy the planet and involving millions of people in the manufacturing and installation of solar panels? How about curing all diseases and asking volunteers to track their health data and share their genomes?

Today we spend 50 times more on treating sick people than on finding cures so people don't get sick. That makes no sense. We can fix this. How about modernizing democracy so everyone can vote online and personalizing education so everyone can learn? These achievements are within our reach. Let's do them all in a way that gives everyone in our society a role. Let's do great things, not only to create progress, but also to create purpose. So taking on big, meaningful projects is the first thing we can do to create a world where everyone has a sense of purpose.

The second is to redefine equality to give everyone the freedom they need to pursue purpose. Many of our parents had steady jobs throughout their careers. We are all entrepreneurs now, whether we are starting projects or finding a role. And that's great. Our company culture is how we create so much progress. Now, a company culture thrives when it's easy to try lots of new ideas. Facebook wasn't the first thing I built. I also built games, chat systems, study tools, and music players. I am not alone. JK Rowling was rejected 12 times before publishing Harry Potter. Even Beyonce had to make hundreds of songs to get “Halo.” The greatest successes come from having the freedom to fail.

But today we have a level of wealth inequality that harms everyone. When you don't have the freedom to take your idea and turn it into a land

mark

company, we all lose. Right now, our society is too focused on rewarding success and we don't do enough to make it easy for everyone to take lots of photos. Let's be honest. Something is wrong with our system when I can walk out of here and make billions of dollars in 10 years while millions of students can't pay their loans, let alone start a business. Look, I know a lot of entrepreneurs and I don't know a single person who has given up on starting a business because they might not make enough money.

But I know a lot of people who haven't pursued their dreams because they didn't have a cushion to fall back on if they failed. We all know that we don't succeed just by having a good idea or working hard. We make it if we are also lucky. If I had to support my family growing up instead of having time to code, if I didn't know I'd be okay if Facebook didn't work, I wouldn't be here today. If we're honest, we all know how lucky we've been. Each generation expands its definition of equality. Previous generations fought for voting and civil rights.

They had the New Deal and the Great Society. Now is the time to define a new social contract for our generation. We should have a society that measures progress not only by economic metrics like GDP, but also by how many of us play a role we consider meaningful. We should explore ideas like universal basic income to give everyone a cushion to try new things. We are going to change jobs many times, so we need affordable child care to get to work and health care that is not tied to a single company. We are all going to make mistakes, which is why we need a society that focuses less on locking us in or stigmatizing us.

And as technology continues to change, we must focus more on continuing education throughout our lives. And yes, giving everyone the freedom to pursue a purpose is not free. People like me should pay for it. Many of you will do well and you should too. That's why Priscilla and I started the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and pledged our wealth to promote equal opportunity. These are the values ​​ofour generation. It was never a question of whether we were going to do this. The only question was when. Millennials are already one of the most charitable generations in history. In one year, three in four American millennials made a donation and seven in ten raised money for charity.

But it's not just about money. You can also give time. I promise you, if you take an hour or two a week, that's all you need to lend a hand to someone and help them reach their potential. You may think it's too long. I used to. When Priscilla graduated from Harvard, she became a teacher and, before working with me in education, she told me that she had to teach a class. I complained, “Well, I'm a little busy. “I run this company.” But she insisted, so I taught a high school program on entrepreneurship at the local Boys and Girls Club.

I taught them lessons in product development and

mark

eting, and they taught me what it's like to feel attacked because of your race and have a family member in prison. I shared stories from my time at school and they shared their hope of one day going to college too. For five years, I have had dinner with those children every month. One of them organized Priscilla and me our first baby shower. And next year they will go to university. Each one of them. First in their families. We can all take time to lend a hand to someone. Let's give everyone the freedom to pursue their purpose, not only because it's the right thing to do, but because when more people can turn their dreams into something great, we will all be better.

Purpose doesn't just come from work. The third way we can create a sense of purpose for everyone is to build community. And when our generation says “everyone,” we mean everyone in the world. Quick show of hands: How many of you are from another country? Now, how many of you are friends with any of these people? Now we are talking. We have grown connected. In a survey that asked millennials around the world what defines our identity, the most popular answer was not nationality, religion or ethnicity, but “world citizen.” That's a big problem. Each generation expands the circle of people we consider “one of us.” For us, it now encompasses the entire world.

We understand that the great arc of human history bends toward people coming together in ever-increasing numbers—from tribes to cities to nations—to accomplish things we couldn't accomplish on our own. We understand that our greatest opportunities now are global: we can be the generation that ends poverty, that ends disease. We understand that our biggest challenges also need global responses: no country can fight climate change or prevent pandemics alone. Progress now requires coming together not only as cities or nations, but also as a global community. But we live in unstable times. There are people that globalization has left behind all over the world.

It's hard to care about people in other places if we don't feel good about our lives here at home. There is pressure to turn inward. This is the fight of our time. The forces of freedom, openness and global community against the forces of authoritarianism, isolationism and nationalism. Forces the flow of knowledge, commerce and immigration against those who would stop them. This is not a battle of nations, it is a battle of ideas. There are people in every country who are for global connection and good people against it. This will not be decided at the UN either.

It will happen at the local level, when enough of us feel a sense of purpose and stability in our own lives that we can open up and start caring about everyone. The best way to do this is to start building local communities right now. We all derive meaning from our communities. Whether our communities are houses or sports teams, churches or musical groups, they give us that feeling that we are part of something bigger, that we are not alone; They give us the strength to expand our horizons. That's why it's so surprising that over decades membership in all types of groups has declined by as much as a quarter.

There are many people who now need to find a purpose elsewhere. But I know we can rebuild our communities and start new ones because many of you are already doing it. I met Agnes Igoye, who is graduating today. Where are you, Inés? She spent her childhood traveling through conflict zones in Uganda and now she trains thousands of law enforcement officers to keep communities safe. I met Kayla Oakley and Niha Jain, who also graduated today. Stand. Kayla and Niha founded a nonprofit that connects people suffering from illnesses with people in their communities willing to help. I met David Razu Aznar, who is graduating from the Kennedy School today.

David, get up. He is a former councilman who successfully led the battle to make Mexico City the first Latin American city to approve marriage equality, even before San Francisco. This is my story too. One student in a dorm, connecting one community at a time and so on until one day we connect the entire world. Change starts locally. Even global changes start small: with people like us. In our generation, the struggle of whether we connect more, whether we achieve our greatest opportunities, comes down to this: your ability to build community and create a world where every person has a sense of purpose.

Class of 2017, you are graduating into a world that needs purpose. It's up to you to create it. Now you might be thinking: Can I really do this? Remember when I told you about that class I taught at the Boys and Girls Club? One day after class, I was talking to them about college and one of my best students raised his hand and said that he wasn't sure he could go because he is undocumented. He didn't know if they would let him in. Last year I invited him to breakfast for his birthday. I wanted to buy him a gift, so I asked him and he started talking about the students he saw struggling and said, "You know, I would really like a book about social justice." I was amazed.

Here is a young man who has every reason to be cynical. He didn't know if the country he called home, the only one he knew, would deny him his dream of going to university. But he didn't feel sorry for himself. He wasn't even thinking about himself. He has a greater sense of purpose and will bring people with him. He says something about our current situation that I can't even say his name because I don't want to put him at risk. But if a high school senior who doesn't know what the future holds can do his part to move the world forward, then we owe it to the world to do our part too.

Before you walk through those doors for the last time, as we sit in front of the Memorial Church, I remember a prayer, My Shebeirach, that I say every time I face a challenge, that I sing to my daughter thinking about her future when I tuck her into bed. . She says, "May the source of strength, which blessed those before us, help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing." I hope you find the courage to make your life a blessing. Congratulations, Class of 2017! Good luck out there.