ENGLISH SPEECH | BILL GATES: Harvard Commencement Address (English Subtitles)

Summary

In this commencement address, Bill Gates reflects on his time at Harvard, the transformative power of education, and the importance of addressing global inequities. He encourages graduates to use their knowledge and resources to tackle complex problems, advocating for a 'creative capitalism' that leverages market forces to improve the lives of the world's poorest. Gates emphasizes the potential of technology and the internet to unite people in solving these issues and urges the Harvard community to commit to making a meaningful impact on global challenges.

Takeaways

• 🎓 The speaker humorously acknowledges his return to Harvard to receive an honorary degree after dropping out, highlighting his success despite not completing his formal education.
• 👏 He commends the graduates for their direct path to earning their degrees and playfully refers to himself as the 'valedictorian' of dropouts.
• 🤝 He takes pride in having influenced others, like Steve Ballmer, to also leave Harvard and pursue their passions.
• 🏫 The speaker fondly remembers his time at Harvard, emphasizing the vibrant academic and social environment, and his role in the anti-social group.
• 💡 His call to a company in Albuquerque in 1975, which led to the development of software for the world's first personal computers, marked the beginning of his journey with Microsoft.
• 🌟 The speaker reflects on the energy and intelligence at Harvard, which he found both exhilarating and challenging, and how it transformed him.
• 😔 He expresses regret for leaving Harvard without awareness of global inequities, such as disparities in health, wealth, and opportunity.
• 🌍 He calls for graduates to use their knowledge of the world's inequities and the power of technology to address and solve these issues.
• 💰 The speaker discusses the importance of creative capitalism and the role of market forces and government in addressing the needs of the poor.
• 🤔 He challenges the audience to consider where they would spend their time and money to have the greatest impact on saving and improving lives.
• 🤝 He emphasizes the need for a clear understanding of problems, solutions, and impact to turn caring into effective action against global inequities.
• 🔄 The speaker outlines the four stages of finding solutions to complex problems: determining a goal, finding the highest-leverage approach, discovering ideal technology, and making the best use of current technology.
• 📈 He stresses the importance of measuring the impact of work and sharing successes and failures to inspire further action and investment.
• 🌐 The speaker is optimistic about the potential of new technologies like biotechnology, computers, and the internet to end extreme poverty and preventable diseases.
• 📚 He calls on Harvard to dedicate its intellectual resources to solving the world's biggest problems and encourages graduates to become specialists on complex issues.
• 🚀 The speaker urges graduates to use their privilege and awareness to take on big inequities and make a difference in the world.

Q & A

What significant event did the speaker mention about his return to Harvard?

The speaker mentioned that he had returned to Harvard to receive an honorary degree after more than 30 years, fulfilling a promise he made to his father.

What did the speaker refer to as his 'extra credit project' that marked the end of his college education?

The speaker referred to the development of software for a company in Albuquerque that was making the world's first personal computers as his 'extra credit project'.

How did the speaker describe his dorm life at Harvard?

The speaker described his dorm life as terrific, living in Currier House at Radcliffe, with lots of late-night discussions and being the leader of the 'anti-social group'.

What was the speaker's biggest regret after leaving Harvard?

The speaker's biggest regret was leaving Harvard with no real awareness of the world's inequities, such as disparities in health, wealth, and opportunity.

What does the speaker define as humanity's greatest advances?

The speaker defines humanity's greatest advances as not in its discoveries, but in how those discoveries are applied to reduce inequity.

What was the speaker's realization about the millions of children dying from diseases that were preventable in developed countries?

The speaker was shocked to learn that millions of children were dying from diseases like measles, malaria, pneumonia, and others that were no longer a threat in developed countries.

What concept does the speaker introduce to make market forces work better for the poor?

The speaker introduces the concept of 'creative capitalism', which aims to stretch the reach of market forces so that more people can profit from serving those suffering from inequities.

What does the speaker suggest as a way to reduce inequity in the world?

The speaker suggests finding approaches that meet the needs of the poor in ways that generate profits for businesses and votes for politicians, creating a sustainable way to reduce inequity.

What does the speaker identify as the barrier to turning caring into action?

The speaker identifies complexity as the barrier to turning caring into action, as it blocks people from seeing a problem, finding a solution, and understanding the impact.

What is the speaker's view on the role of technology in addressing global inequities?

The speaker believes that technology, particularly biotechnology, computers, and the Internet, gives us unprecedented opportunities to end extreme poverty and preventable disease-related deaths.

What challenge does the speaker pose to the Harvard community?

The speaker challenges the Harvard community to dedicate its intellect to solving the world's biggest problems and to encourage its students and faculty to take on global inequities.