CEO finally collects degree.
‘Purpose is what creates true happiness,’ co-founder of tech giant tells graduates fromthe university where he spawned Facebook
Calling for the creation of a new social contract, Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg urged Harvard graduates Thursday to help everyone in the world find their sense of purpose.
The 33-year-old tech mogul co-founded Facebook in a Harvard dorm room in 2004, but dropped out of the university to run what became the world’s largest social network.
On Thursday, Zuckerberg — now a multibillionaire — also received an honorary degree from Harvard and delivered a commencement address at the university.
He encouraged the graduates to create a purposeful world by taking on big, meaningful projects, redefining the idea of equality and building community.
“Purpose is that feeling that you are a part of something bigger than yourself, that you are needed and that you have something better ahead to work for. Purpose is what creates true happiness,” Zuckerberg said.
Dressed in a suit and a light blue tie, rather than his usual grey T-shirt and jeans, Zuckerberg told students that they’re graduating during a challeng-
ing yet important time in which technology is displacing jobs and many people are feeling disconnected and depressed.
At one point, Zuckerberg teared up as he talked about a student he taught at a Boys & Girls Club who wasn’t sure if he could go to college because he was undocumented. One day, when Zuckerberg asked what the student wanted for his birthday, the teen said he would like a book on social justice because he knew what his classmates were going through.
“It says something about our current situation that I can’t even say his name because I don’t want to put him at risk,” Zuckerberg said. “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.”
Zuckerberg has been an advocate for immigration reform. He co-founded a lobbying group called Fwd. us, which has criticized immigration policies supported by President Donald Trump.
Even Zuckerberg himself, though, has struggled with finding purpose.
When he first created Facebook, he thought someone else would be the one to connect the world.
“There were all these big technology companies with resources. I just assumed one of them would do it,” he said. “But this idea was so clear to us — that all people want to connect. So we just kept moving forward, day by day.”
Zuckerberg grappled with whether to sell the technology firm when these big companies came knocking. An adviser told him if he didn’t sell, he would regret it, and people on the management team left.
“That was my hardest time leading Facebook. I believed in what we were doing, but I felt alone,” he said.
Today, the tech firm is investing in solar-powered drones to bring the internet to developing countries along with virtual reality, live video and messaging.
As of March, Facebook had 1.94 billion monthly active users worldwide and 18,770 employees.
But as the number of Facebook users grows, the company has also faced net neutrality concerns when it tried to deliver free internet services to India and criticism over fake news and violence in live videos posted on the social network by users.
Society should measure progress not just by economic metrics, but by how many people find a meaningful purpose, Zuckerberg said.
As rumors have swirled that Zuckerberg could run for president in the future, he pushed for universal basic income, affordable child care, health care that isn’t tied to one company and continuous education.
“The greatest successes come from having the freedom to fail,” he said.
Zuckerberg has denied rumors about a presidential run, but has been touring the United States, talking to everyone from children in juvenile detention centers to factory workers.
“For our society to keep moving forward, we have a generational challenge to not only create new jobs,” he said, “but to create a renewed sense of purpose.”