Larry Ellison's commencement address at the University of Southern California

Summary

In this inspiring commencement speech, the speaker reflects on his journey from aspiring doctor to tech entrepreneur, emphasizing the importance of pursuing one's own dreams rather than the expectations of others. He shares his experiences in the 1960s, from dropping out of college to finding passion in environmentalism, sailing, and eventually, computer programming. His story illustrates the value of experimentation, the courage to challenge experts, and the pursuit of a meaningful life beyond financial success, as exemplified by his friendship with Steve Jobs. The speaker encourages graduates to embrace change, explore their interests, and commit to causes that elevate humanity.

Takeaways

• 🎓 The speaker emphasizes the importance of self-discovery and pursuing one's own dreams, rather than living up to others' expectations.
• 🏥 The initial dream of attending USC Medical School and becoming a doctor was influenced by family and societal pressures, but ultimately not aligned with the speaker's true interests.
• 🚗 At 21, the speaker dropped out of college and moved to Berkeley, California, which was a pivotal decision in the journey of self-discovery.
• 🏞️ A love for nature and the outdoors, specifically the Sierra Nevada mountains and Yosemite Valley, became a significant part of the speaker's identity and passion.
• 💻 The speaker found enjoyment and success in computer programming, which provided a sense of satisfaction akin to solving math problems and playing chess.
• 🛶 The pursuit of a sailing class led to a lifelong passion for the ocean, demonstrating the speaker's willingness to explore new interests.
• 💔 A divorce and family disapproval highlighted a conflict between personal aspirations and the expectations of others, but reinforced the speaker's commitment to their own path.
• 🔧 The speaker's entrepreneurial journey began with the intention of creating the perfect job, which unexpectedly led to the founding of a large company, Oracle.
• 🌐 The development of the Oracle database was considered a 'crazy idea' by experts, but it became a foundational technology of the Information Age, illustrating the importance of challenging conventional wisdom.
• 🤝 The friendship with Steve Jobs and their shared walks often led to profound discussions about life, ambition, and the pursuit of meaningful work over monetary gain.
• 💼 Steve Jobs' return to Apple was driven by a sense of moral responsibility and a desire to contribute significantly to the world, rather than personal wealth.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial dream when he was the age of the graduating class?

The speaker's initial dream was to attend the USC Medical School, get married, raise a family, and practice medicine in Los Angeles.

Why did the speaker feel he couldn't become a doctor?

The speaker didn't enjoy the pre-med courses, particularly comparative anatomy, and found it difficult to study something that didn't interest him, leading him to believe he lacked discipline and was selfish.

What significant change did the speaker make at the age of 21?

The speaker dropped out of college, packed his belongings, and drove from Chicago to Berkeley, California, in search of a new path.

What drew the speaker to the Sierra Nevada mountains and Yosemite Valley?

The speaker fell in love with the natural beauty of the Sierra Nevada mountains and Yosemite Valley, and he became passionate about preserving the wilderness.

What jobs did the speaker have during his time in California?

The speaker worked as a river guide and a rock climbing instructor in Yosemite Valley, and also as a computer programmer in Berkeley.

How did the speaker's relationship with his wife end, and what was her main concern about him?

The speaker's wife divorced him because she saw him as irresponsible and lacking ambition, particularly when he expressed a desire to buy a sailboat.

What was the speaker's approach to starting his own company?

The speaker aimed to create a small company with the most talented programmers, focusing on interesting and challenging software projects, with the goal of creating the perfect job for himself.

What was the 'crazy idea' that led to the creation of Oracle?

The crazy idea was to build the world's first relational database, which many experts believed would not be fast enough to be useful.

How did the speaker's relationship with Steve Jobs influence his perspective on work and ambition?

Steve Jobs taught the speaker that after a certain point, work should not be about money but about doing something important and standing on the moral high ground.

What advice does the speaker give to the graduating class about finding their path in life?

The speaker advises the graduates to not be afraid to experiment, try different things, and not let experts discourage them from challenging the status quo.

What is the speaker's final message to the graduates about their future and the world's?

The speaker encourages the graduates to understand that what is possible is always changing, and they have the opportunity to discover who they are, live their own dreams, and commit to a righteous cause.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 From Dreams to Reality: A Journey of Self-Discovery

The speaker begins by expressing gratitude for being invited to address the USC class of 2016 and shares his personal journey from his youth in Chicago to his aspirations of attending USC Medical School. He candidly discusses the realization that pre-med was not his passion, leading him to drop out of college and move to Berkeley, California. There, he found a love for the Sierra Nevada mountains and Yosemite Valley, becoming an environmentalist and working as a river guide and rock climbing instructor. He also discovered a knack for computer programming, which he found enjoyable and financially rewarding, despite the lack of passion compared to his love for nature and the outdoors.

05:02

💡 Life's Pivotal Moments and the Pursuit of Passion

The narrative continues with the speaker's life taking unexpected turns, including a divorce that led to introspection about his ambitions and desires. He emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between the expectations of others and his own dreams. The speaker's passion for sailing emerged during a sailing class at UC Berkeley, which led to a lifelong love for the ocean. His professional life evolved through various Silicon Valley startups, culminating in his role as vice president of software development. Despite the challenges and the demanding nature of his work, he was driven by the excitement and cutting-edge nature of his projects, although he admits he never found a job in software engineering that he loved as much as sailing.

10:03

🚀 Founding Oracle and the Unexpected Growth of a Company

The speaker recounts the inception of Oracle, initially envisioned as a small company focused on creating the perfect work environment for himself and a team of talented programmers. He shares the 'crazy idea' of developing the world's first relational database, which defied the conventional wisdom of computer experts at the time. The success of the Oracle database led to the company's rapid expansion, far exceeding his initial expectations. This growth resulted in the speaker transitioning from hands-on programming to managing a large, fast-growing company, a role that was both challenging and demanding but ultimately rewarding.

15:04

🤝 The Moral High Ground and the Influence of Steve Jobs

The speaker reflects on his friendship with Steve Jobs, highlighting a pivotal conversation about the potential acquisition of Apple Computer. He shares Steve's moral stance on not wanting to profit from the endeavor, choosing instead to act from a place of integrity and commitment to the company he founded. This story underscores the idea that beyond a certain point, financial gain should not be the driving force behind one's actions, and that a deeper sense of purpose and contribution to society should take precedence.

20:04

🌟 Embracing Life's Adventure and the Quest for Fulfillment

In the final paragraph, the speaker imparts wisdom to the graduates, encouraging them to embrace the adventure of life and to seek out work that ignites their passions. He emphasizes the importance of not being afraid to experiment and to challenge the status quo. The speaker also stresses the need to find a righteous cause that elevates the individual and contributes positively to humanity and the planet. He concludes by reminding the graduates that they have the opportunity to live out their own dreams and to discover who they truly are, rather than living up to others' expectations.

Keywords

💡Graduation

Graduation is the act of receiving a diploma or academic degree from a school, college, or university, marking the completion of an individual's education. In the context of the video, it is the event being celebrated for the class of 2016 at the University of Southern California, and it serves as the backdrop for the speaker's reflections on life and career choices.

💡Dreams

Dreams, in this context, refer to the aspirations, goals, or ideals that an individual holds for their future. The speaker discusses how his dreams evolved from becoming a doctor to finding passion in environmentalism, programming, and eventually starting his own company. Dreams are central to the narrative as they drive personal growth and decision-making.

💡Self-discovery

Self-discovery is the process of learning about and understanding one's own identity, values, and beliefs. The speaker's journey from pre-med student to environmentalist to programmer and finally to entrepreneur is a testament to his self-discovery. This concept is integral to the video's theme, illustrating the speaker's evolution and the importance of finding one's own path.

💡Ambition

Ambition is the strong desire to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. The speaker's wife accuses him of lacking ambition due to his pursuit of passions over a traditional career path. However, the speaker redefines ambition on his own terms, ultimately finding success and fulfillment in his unconventional pursuits.

💡Innovation

Innovation refers to the introduction of new ideas, methods, or products. The speaker's decision to create the world's first relational database, despite expert skepticism, exemplifies innovation. This keyword is central to the video's message about challenging the status quo and trusting one's own vision.

💡Oracle

Oracle is the name of the company founded by the speaker, which has grown to employ around 150,000 people. The company's success story is a key example in the video of how a single innovative idea can lead to significant outcomes, highlighting the impact of ambition and vision in business.

💡Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California known for its high-tech innovation and entrepreneurship. The speaker's career in programming and founding of Oracle is set against the backdrop of Silicon Valley, illustrating the role of this region in fostering technological advancement and startup culture.

💡Passion

Passion is a strong emotional excitement or enthusiasm for something. The speaker distinguishes between passion and love, associating passion with his intense but different feelings towards his work. Passion is a driving force in the speaker's life, leading him to pursue careers that he finds deeply satisfying.

💡Moral High Ground

The moral high ground refers to the principled position of acting based on ethics and integrity rather than personal gain. The speaker recounts a conversation with Steve Jobs, who emphasized the importance of acting from the moral high ground when considering a return to Apple, illustrating the significance of ethical decision-making in business.

Highlights

The speaker's initial dream to attend USC Medical School and the influence of family and community expectations.

The realization and decision to drop out of college at 21, driven by a lack of interest in pre-med studies.

The journey to Berkeley, California, and the pursuit of a new life aligned with personal interests.

The importance of finding a cause to be passionate about, as illustrated by the speaker's environmentalism.

The balance between following personal passions for outdoor activities and the need for financial stability.

The discovery of a knack for computer programming and its role in the speaker's life.

The conflict with the speaker's wife over life choices, leading to divorce and a pivotal moment of self-realization.

The transformative experience of buying a sailboat and living aboard, symbolizing independence and happiness.

The exploration of Silicon Valley and the speaker's involvement in pioneering tech companies.

The founding of Oracle and the speaker's vision for a company built around his love for programming.

The challenge of managing a rapidly growing company and the shift from hands-on programming to leadership.

The speaker's friendship with Steve Jobs and the impact of their walks and discussions.

Steve Jobs' moral stance on taking over Apple and the influence on the speaker's perspective on wealth and ambition.

The idea that after a certain point, money is not the driving factor in one's career or life choices.

The importance of finding work that brings satisfaction beyond financial gain, as illustrated by the speaker's career.

The speaker's encouragement for graduates to pursue their dreams and not just the expectations of others.

The call to graduates to commit to a righteous cause and to explore various paths in life.

The final message to graduates about the importance of continuous learning, adapting, and finding joy in one's work.

Transcripts

good morning class of 2016 thank you for

inviting me here today I'm honored to be

with you for your graduation from the

University of Southern California this

morning I'd like to talk with you about

how a few experiences and a couple of

ideas taught me some important lessons

and helped me discover my dreams when I

was your age living and going to school

in Chicago back in the 1960s I used to

dream about this place the University of

Southern California back then this is

all true back then my dream was to go to

the USC Medical School get married raise

a family and practice medicine in Los

Angeles growing up in a lower

middle-class community on the south side

of Chicago medicine was considered the

pinnacle of professions noble and humane

virtually everyone important in my life

my family my teachers my girlfriend

wanted me to be a doctor over time their

dreams became my dreams they convinced

me I should be a doctor but as hard as I

tried I couldn't do it after a few

difficult and unhappy years as a pre-med

student it became painfully clear to me

that I did not like the courses I was

taking I thought my comparative anatomy

class was a perversely pointless form of

psychological torture

especially the dissection labs and I

just could not make myself study

something that didn't interest me at the

time I thought I lacked discipline and

that I was selfish maybe so but whatever

the underlying reasons I was unable to

make myself into the person that I

thought I should be so I decided to stop

trying I was 21 years old when I dropped

out of college packed everything I owned

jeans t-shirts leather jacket guitar

into my car and drove from Chicago to

Berkeley California

I guess one small part of that

University of Southern California dream

was mine after all the California part

Berkeley in the 1960s was at the center

of everything the anti-war movement the

Free Speech Movement the human rights

movement it was the perfect place for an

undisciplined selfish 20-something to

begin his search for himself a righteous

cause and a job that he loved everyone

living in Berkeley in the 1960s opposed

the Vietnam War I was no different

it was the Age of Aquarius but I never

had long hair and I never wore love

beads I learned to play popular protest

songs on my guitar but I was never a

committed serious anti-war protester I

did find a cause however one I still

feel passionately about today a few

hours east of Berkeley

are the Sierra Nevada mountains I fell

in love with those mountains and the

ineffable natural beauty of Yosemite

Valley I cared about the wilderness and

I wanted to help preserve it I joined

this year a club I became an

environmentalist during my California

Springs and summers I spent most of my

days in the High Sierras in Yosemite

Valley working as a river guide and a

rock climbing instructor I loved those

jobs but unfortunately they didn't pay

that well so I also got a job working a

couple of days a week as a computer

programmer back in Berkeley I had

learned a program in college I didn't

love programming but it was fun and I

was good at it and computer program

programming gave me the same kind of

satisfaction as solving math problems

and playing chess both things I enjoyed

before I became a confused teenager at

this point in my life I thought I was

making real progress on my journey of

self-discovery I had found a cause I had

a couple of jobs that I loved and one

that was fun and paid the bills I was

pretty happy with my life my wife was

not what she saw was a college dropout

who spent too much time in the mountains

doing foolish things she wanted me to

work full-time as a computer programmer

or go back to college and finish my

degree we compromised sort of I started

taking classes at UC Berkeley I took

several classes but the only one I can

remember was a sailing class taught at

Berkeley marina

once again I fell in love and began a

lifelong affair with the limitless

omnipotent Pacific Ocean when my class

was over I wanted to buy a sailboat

my wife said this was the single

stupidest idea she had ever heard in her

entire life she accused me of being

irresponsible and she told me I lacked

ambition she kicked me out and then she

divorced me this was a pivotal moment in

my life

my family was still mad at me for not

going to medical school and now my wife

was divorcing me because I lacked

ambition it looked like a reoccurrence

of the same old problem once again I was

unable to live up to the expectations of

others but this time I was not

disappointed in myself for failing to be

the person they thought I should be

their dreams and my dreams were

different I would never confuse the two

of them again I had discovered things

that I loved the Sierras Yosemite the

Pacific Ocean these natural wonders

brought me great joy and happiness and

would for the rest of my life I had an

interesting job programming computers

and more money than I needed for the

first time I was certain that I was

going to survive in this world a huge

burden of fear had been lifted I'll

never forget that moment it was a time

for rejoicing

I bought the sailboat and lived on board

just me and my cat in Berkeley marina in

the words of James Joyce I was alone and

young and willful and unheeded but I was

happy and near to the wild heart of life

throughout my 20s I continued

experimenting trying different things

racing bikes and boats and constantly

changing jobs it didn't take me long to

discover that the most interesting and

rewarding programming jobs were found at

a cluster of companies located south of

Stanford University in north of San Jose

Silicon Valley was in its infancy I was

still in my 20s when I went to work for

my first Silicon Valley startup Amdahl

where we developed the world's fastest

mainframe computer faster than anything

IBM had next stop was Ampex where we

built the world's largest digital data

storage system then on to precision

instruments we built an even larger data

storage system this time using lasers I

was the vice president and charged with

software development it was all very

cutting-edge and challenging and cool I

like my work most of the time but I

didn't love it I searched and I searched

but I just could not find a software

engineering job but that I loved as much

as I loved sailing so I tried to create

one I put together a plan to start my

own company

that way I could completely control my

work environment I would hire the most

talented programmers I knew and we would

all work together on the most

interesting and challenging software

projects my group my goal was to create

the perfect job for me a job I truly

loved I never expected the company to

grow beyond 50 people so maybe I really

did lack ambition or vision back then I

don't know it was a long time ago and I

was very young anyway today Oracle

employs around 150,000 people but when I

started it was not my intention to build

a big company what happened well at

first we did exactly what we set out to

do hired the most talented software

engineers in Silicon Valley we assembled

an all-star team of gifted programmers

who were among the best in the

and what they did that team plus one

crazy idea gave birth to a giant company

I call it a crazy idea because at the

time everyone told me it was a crazy

idea the idea was to build the world's

first relational database several

theoretical papers about relational

databases had already been published and

IBM was building a prototype in their

research labs but back then the

collective wisdom of computer experts

was that while relational databases

could be built they would never be fast

enough to be useful I thought all those

so-called computer experts were wrong

and when you start telling people that

all the experts are wrong at first they

call you arrogant and then they say

you're crazy so remember this graduates

when people start telling you that

you're crazy you just might be on to the

most important innovation in your life

of course the other possibility is

you're crazy

this is one of those times when the

experts were wrong arrogance and

insanity turned out to be innovation in

disguise the Oracle database proved to

be a defining technology at the dawn of

the Information Age the Oracle database

also totally upended my plans to build a

small comfortable company a perfect

place for me and a few of my friends to

work as the Information Age moved from

dawn to the full light of day technology

horizons were constantly shifting

revealing a brave and exciting world of

new possibilities and new opportunities

work will doubled in size year after

year after year for 10 years I had set

out to create the perfect programming

job for me instead I created a job where

I had to stop programming altogether

I attempted to create an environment

that I could completely control instead

I was running a company with thousands

and thousands of people that was growing

so fast that it was impossible for

anyone to control it was like sailing in

a hurricane and then we went public oh

my god

maybe I should have been a doctor I was

constantly learning on on-the-job

training I think they call it everyday

learned something new and interesting

something that I did not know the day

before I like that my new job was

challenging captivating consuming I

worked all the time but thinking back

I'm pretty sure I didn't love it

or maybe I was just too tired to even

know how I felt but I had found a place

in the world my family finally forgave

me for not going to medical school and

nobody ever accused me of lacking

ambition again now I'd like to tell you

one last story about my best friend a

guy who had lots of crazy ideas and

taught me an important lesson my 30-year

friendship with Steve Jobs was made up

of a thousand walks if there was

something he wanted to talk about and

there always was we'd go for a walk we

climbed to the top of windy hill hiked

around Castle Rock or through the sands

on on the beach in Kona Village over the

years one particular walk stands out we

had a lot to talk about that day so we

jumped in the car put the top down and

headed out to Castle Rock Rock State

Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains it was

over 20 years ago back in mid-1995 Steve

was finishing up Toy Story at Pixar and

running next the computer company he

founded after he left Apple Apple was in

severe distress it had gone steadily

downhill during the ten years of Steve's

absence the problems were now so serious

people were wondering if Apple would

survive it was all too painful to watch

and stand by and do nothing

so the purpose of that particular hike

through the Santa Cruz Mountains on that

particular day was to discuss

taking over Apple Computer

my idea was simple by Apple and

immediately makes Steve CEO Apple wasn't

worth much back then about five billion

dollars we both had really good credit

and I had already arranged to borrow all

the money all Steve had to do was say

yes Steve proposed a somewhat more

circuitous approach first persuade Apple

to buy next computer then Steve would

join the Apple board and over time the

board would recognize that Steve was the

right guy to lead the company I said

okay that might work but Steve if we

don't buy Apple how are we gonna make

any money suddenly Steve stopped walking

and turned toward me we were facing each

other when he put his left hand on my

right shoulder and it's right hand on my

left shoulder staring unblinkingly into

my eyes Steve said Larry this is why

it's so important that I'm your friend

you don't need any more money

I said yeah I know I know then I came

and I said but we don't have to keep it

we could give it all away

I was whining Steve just shook his head

and said I'm not doing this for the

money I don't want to get paid if I do

this I need to do this standing on the

moral high ground the moral high ground

I said well that just might be the most

expensive real estate on earth but I

knew I had lost the argument

Steve had made up his mind right there

and then at Castle Rock in the summer of

1995 to say about bole his way at the

end of the hike right before we got back

into the car I said Steve you created

Apple it's your company and it's your

call I'll do whatever you want me to do

I went on the Apple board and then I

watched Steve build the most valuable

company on earth

the lesson here is very clear to me

Steve was right after a certain point it

can't be about the money

after a certain point you can't spend it

no matter how hard you try I know I've

tried hard but it's impossible in the

end the only practical option is to give

nearly all of it away so why did Steve

go back to Apple why did he devote so

much of what remained of his life to his

job why do I I believe it

the answer is that deep inside of all of

us all of us there's a primal desire to

do something important with our lives

and Freud said there are only two things

important in life love and work he did

not say love and work were the same

thing I'm passionate about my work it

continues to give me great satisfaction

in a sense of Who I am

but passion and love are different at

least for me they are I love my family a

few precious friends four cats two dogs

cherry blossoms in Japan Pacific island

beaches and bays and the majestic Sierra

Nevada mountains where it all began for

me my feelings about work are very

intense but quite different there's a TV

advertisement for the United States Navy

that says it's not just a job it's an

adventure that's exactly how I feel

about my years in Silicon Valley in

interesting challenging all-consuming

adventure

like any ongoing adventure I have no

idea how it ends but I know it will for

me and a long long time for now from now

for all of you but today graduates you

are beginning your great adventure your

generation will change the world as

every generation does you will invent

new technologies and create new types of

art impossibilities will be transformed

into possibilities and unexpected

opportunities will present themselves

you will change the world and the world

will change you as you learn and grow

and discover more about yourself

remember this graduates in a constantly

changing world what is possible is a

moving target don't be afraid to

experiment and try lots of different

things and don't let the experts

discourage you when you when you

challenge the status quo like Mark Twain

says what's an expert anyway just some

guy from out of town

each of you has a chance to discover who

you are rather than who you should be a

chance to live your dreams not the

dreams of others each of you has an

obligation to commit to a righteous

cause

one that elevates you and improves the

conditions of humanity and the planet

soon many of you will begin a new job I

hope it interests you

and challenges you and rewards you with

a sense of purpose and satisfaction but

if it doesn't keep searching it's out

there it might take a while but keep

searching until you find a job that

ignites your passions like I did even

better