"Graduates of Yale University, Iapologize if you have endured
this type of prologue before, but I wantyou to do something for
me. Please, take a good look around you.Look at the classmate on
your left. Look at the classmate on yourright.
Now, consider this: five years from now, 10years from now, even
thirty
years from now, odds are the person on yourleft is going to be a
loser. The person on your right, meanwhile,will also be a loser.
And you, in the middle? What can youexpect? Loser. Loserhood.
Loser Cum Laude. In fact, as I look outbefore me today, I dont
see a thousand hopes for a bright tomorrow.I dont see a
thousand future leaders in a thousandindustries. I see a
thousand losers. Youre upset. Thatsunderstandable. After all,
how can I,Lawrence "Larry"Ellison, college dropout, have the
audacity to spout such heresy to thegraduating class of one of
the nations most prestigious institutions?
I'll tell you why. Because I, Lawrence"Larry" Ellison, second
richest man on the planet, am collegedropout, and you are not.
Because Bill Gates, richest man on theplanet-for now anyway-is a
college dropout, and you are not. BecausePaul Allen, the third
richest man on the planet, dropped out ofcollege, and you did
not. And for good
measure, because Michael Dell, No.9 on thelist and moving up
fast, is a college dropout, and you, yetagain, are not.
Hmm ... youre very upset. That'sunderstandable. So let me stroke
your
Egos for a moment by pointing out, quitesincerely, that your
diplomas were not attained in vain. Most ofyou, I imagine, have
spent four to five years here, and in manyways what youve
learned and endured will serve you well inthe years ahead.
You've established
good work habits. Youve established anetwork of people that
will help you down the road. And youveestablished what will be
lifelong
relationships with the word"therapy." All that of is good.
For in truth, you will need that network.You will need those
strong work habits. You will need thattherapy. You will need them
because you didnt drop out, and so you willnever be among the
richest people in the world. Oh sure, youmay, perhaps, work your
way up to #10 or #11, like Steve Ballmer.But then, I dont have
to tell you who
he really works for, do I? And for therecord, he dropped out of
grad
school. Bit of a late bloomer.
Finally, I realize that many of you, andhopefully by now most of
you, Are wondering, "Is there anythingI can do? Is there any hope
for me at all? Actually, no. Its too late.Youve absorbed too
much, think you know too much. You're not19 anymore. You have a
built-in cap,and Im not referring to themortarboards on your
heads.
Hmm ... youre really very upset. That'sunderstandable. So
perhaps this
Could be a good time to bring up the silverlining. Not for you,
Class of 00. You are a write-off, so I'lllet you slink off to
your pathetic
$200,000-a-year jobs, where your chequeswill be signed by
former
classmates who dropped out two years ago.Instead, I want to give
hope to any underclassmen here today. I sayto you, and I cant
stress this
enough: leave. Pack your things and yourideas and dont come
back. Drop out. Start up. For I can tellyou that a cap and gown
will keep you down just as surely as thesesecurity guards
dragging me off .