2019 Stanford Commencement address by Tim Cook

Thank you, thank you.

Good morning, Class of 2019.

Thank you, President Tessier-Lavine, for that very generous introduction.

I'll do my best.

To earn it, before I begin, I want to recognize everyone whose hard work made this celebration possible, including the groundskeepersA person who maintains the grounds of a large building or estate., ushers, volunteers, and crew.

Thank you.

I am deeply honored and frankly a little astonishedFeeling great surprise or wonder. to be invited to join you for this most meaningful of occasions.

Graduates, this is your day, but you didn't get here alone.

Family and friends, teachers, mentorsAn experienced and trusted adviser or guide., loved ones, and, of course, your parents—all worked together to make you possible, and they share your joy today.

Here on Father's Day, let's give the dads in particular a round of applause.

Stanford is near to my heart—not least because I live just a mile and a half from here.

Of course, if my accent hasn't given it away, for the first part of my life, I had to admireTo regard with respect or warm approval this place from a distance.

I went to school on the other side of the country at Auburn University, in the heart of landlockedSurrounded by land so that there is no access to the sea. eastern Alabama.

You may not know this, but I was on the sailing team all four years.

It wasn't easy back then—the closest marinaA small harbor for pleasure boats. was a three-hour drive for practice.

Most of the time, we had to wait for a heavy rainstorm to floodTo cover with water that has overflowed. the football field.

And tying knots is hard—who knew?

Yet somehow, against all odds, we managed to beat Stanford every time.

We must have gotten lucky with the wind.

Kidding aside, I know the real reason I'm here, and I don't take it lightly.

Stanford and Silicon Valley's roots are woven together.

We're part of the same ecosystemA community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

It was true when Steve stood on this stage 14 years ago.

It's true today, and presumablyUsed to say that you think something is probably true. it'll be true for a while longer still.

The past few decades have lifted us together, but today we gather at a moment that demands some reflection—fueled by caffeine and code, optimism and idealism, conviction in AI and creativity.

Generations of Stanford graduates and dropouts have used technology to remake our society, but I think you would agree that lately the results haven't been neat or straightforwardSimple and easy to understand.

In just the four years that you've been here at the Farm, things feel like they've taken a sharp turn.

Crisis has temperedTo moderate or soften something (like an emotion or quality) by adding another element. optimism.

Consequences have challenged idealism.