1:20 (attendees applauding) ♪ O beautiful for spacious skies ♪ ♪ For amber waves of
1:20 grain ♪ ♪ For purple mountain majesties ♪ ♪ Above the fruited plain ♪
1:20 ♪ America ♪ ♪ America ♪ ♪ God shed his grace on thee ♪
1:20 ♪ And crown thy good with brotherhood ♪ ♪ From sea to shining sea
1:22 ♪ (attendees applauding) (attendees cheering) - Welcome friends to Stanford University's 135th Annual Commencement.
1:36 (attendees applauding) I invite you to be in a spirit of blessing with me.
1:40 Let us be together amid the beauty of this campus we pause.
1:48 Holding at bay for just a moment the future unfurling before us.
1:56 Settle in.
1:58 Savor it.
2:03 Breathe.
2:03 Our time here was marked by not one thing but many.
2:08 Exhilaration and exhaustion, achievements celebrated, failures that formed us,
2:17 and the unexpected grace of finding home in one another.
2:24 We hold it all together this day,
2:28 and so in this moment we offer our deepest gratitude for family
2:34 and friends whose long labor of love sustained us for professors
2:40 and mentors whose generosity encouraged us
2:45 and for this community,
2:47 Stanford, and all its imaginative
2:50 and improbable fullness that taught us to delight in discovery
2:55 and wrestle with complexity,
2:58 listening across difference and seeking not only what is possible but what is right.
3:07 And so called forth by love's unfailing optimism and hopes persistent demand,
3:16 may we enter this moment with curiosity
3:21 as our compass and wonder
3:23 as our ground carrying the daring belief
3:27 that what we cultivated here belongs not to us alone,
3:33 but to the world that waits for it.
3:50 Amen. (attendees applauding) (attendees cheering) - Thank you, Dean Steinwert.
3:53 One of the limitations of being the university president is
3:59 that you do not get to participate in the wacky walk.
4:06 This weekend I was feeling a little left out,
4:11 but then yesterday one of the parents of the graduating seniors who happens to
4:20 be on the artistic swimming team,
4:26 (attendees cheering) inducted me
4:27 as an honorary member of the parents group of
4:31 that team.
4:33 And as an honorary member of that team,
4:36 I was bestowed with a special hat
4:39 that they wear to all the matches. (attendees applauding) (attendees cheering)
4:54 That feels better. (all laughs) (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) Members of the class of
5:11 2026,
5:13 faculty and staff, former and current trustees, distinguished guests, family members and friends.
5:21 Welcome to Stanford's 135th Commencement Ceremony. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) Today we are celebrating
5:35 one of the largest graduating classes in Stanford's history. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) 1,090,
5:44 doctoral degrees, 2,870 master's degrees,
5:57 (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding)
5:57 and 2,006 bachelor's degrees. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) Each of you came to Stanford
6:12 to seek a transformative education.
6:14 Today you will leave as Stanford graduates,
6:19 and we are here 30,000 strong to celebrate you and this moment.
6:25 Let's hear it for the Class of 2026. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) Now I'd
6:41 like to acknowledge some of the people who are here.
6:44 The Stanford staff, many of whom are all around the stadium,
6:48 have supported you in the residences, libraries, and labs, and in student activities, programs,
6:54 and teams.
6:56 Our faculty, including those who have joined me on the stage,
7:00 have invested in you through their teaching, advising, and mentoring.
7:04 Let's hear it for the Stanford faculty
7:06 and staff. (attendees applauding) There is another group to thank the families
7:19 and friends who have devoted
7:21 so much to get you to Stanford
7:23 and support your education. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) Graduates,
7:33 I'd like you to join me in a commencement tradition.
7:35 Please rise and turn to face your families and friends.
7:40 And now for the dedication, encouragement, support,
7:44 and love that have helped you get to today, please say thank you.
7:48 Thank you. (attendees applauding)
8:00 And now Provost Martinez will present the University Awards. - It's now my privilege
8:11 and pleasure to present the following prizes.
8:15 The Walter J.
8:16 Gores Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Lloyd W.
8:21 Dinkelspiel Awards for distinctive contributions to education, and the Kenneth M.
8:28 Cuthbertson Awards for Exceptional Service to Stanford University.
8:34 Recommendations for these awards were considered by a committee of faculty, students, and staff.
8:43 The Gores Awards were established by request of Professor Walter J.
8:48 Gores, a Stanford alumnus of the Class of 1917,
8:53 and recognize excellent teaching at the undergraduate and graduate level.
9:00 I would like to ask the recipients to come forward now
9:03 and I ask that you all hold your applause until I've announced all of
9:07 this year's award winners.
9:10 The recipients of the 2026 Walter J.
9:14 Gores Awards for Excellence in Teaching are Michael Scott Thomas,
9:20 PhD Candidate in Political Science, Kate Petrova, PhD Candidate in Psychology, Abbas Milani,
9:30 Hamid and Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies, and Research Fellow Hoover Institution,
9:37 Jason Hogan, Associate Professor of Physics, and Ran Abramitzky,
9:43 The Stanford Federal Credit Union Professor of Economics,
9:46 and Senior Associate Dean for Social Sciences in the School of Humanities and Sciences.
9:53 On behalf of the university,
9:55 I congratulate each of you for this recognition of your excellence in teaching. (attendees
10:15 applauding) (attendees cheering) I would like to ask the Dinkelspiel award winners to come
10:18 forward at this time.
10:26 Lloyd W.
10:27 Dinkelspiel service to Stanford included the President of the Board of Trustees in the
10:32 1950s and was characterized by an enduring concern for the quality of undergraduate education.
10:41 The recipients of the 2026 Lloyd W.
10:45 Dinkelspiel Awards for distinctive contributions to undergraduate education are Anagali Shace Duncan,
10:55 BA Candidate in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity,
10:59 and Interdisciplinary Honors Candidate in Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law.
11:05 Annette Salmeen, Core Course Coordinator for the Program in Human Biology, and Patricia Burchat,
11:14 Gabilan Professor.
11:18 On behalf of the university,
11:21 I congratulate all of you for this significant recognition of your contributions to undergraduate
11:40 education. (attendees applauding) Our next award is the Kenneth M.
11:43 Cuthbertson Awards for exceptional service to Stanford University.
11:49 I would like to ask the Cuthbertson Award winners to come forward at this
12:06 time.
12:06 The award was established in 1981 to honor the late Kenneth Cuthbertson who steered
12:13 Stanford's long range financial planning
12:16 and development programs.
12:18 The sole criteria of this award is the quality of the contribution
12:22 that the recipient has made to Stanford.
12:26 The recipients of the 2026 Kenneth M.
12:30 Cuthbertson Awards for Exceptional Contributions to Stanford University are Scott Calvert,
12:37 Senior Associate Dean for Administration in the School of Engineering and Sofie R.
12:43 Kleppner, Associate Vice Provost for Postdoctoral Affairs,
12:48 and Executive Director of Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.
12:52 On behalf of the university,
12:54 I congratulate you for this distinguished recognition of your exceptional service to Stanford University.
13:15 (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) - Thank you,
13:15 Provost Martinez.
13:19 Most mornings for the last 36 years,
13:22 I've started my day by walking across the Stanford campus.
13:27 Much has changed.
13:29 When I was an undergraduate student in the early 1990s,
13:33 there was no Engineering Quad, no Children's Hospital, no Knight business school campus,
13:38 no Bing Concert Hall, no Far-illaga gym, not even a Near-illaga gym,
13:45 no O'Donohue Family Farm, and no Coupa Cafe. (attendees laughs) Also no phones.
13:56 So even with fewer buildings, I was often lost.
14:01 The absolute center of campus activity
14:04 and the main link with the outside world was the Stanford Post Office.
14:12 Everyone had to stop in White Plaza to pick up their mail,
14:16 so there was always a gathering of students around the post office boxes.
14:21 It was delightful, and it's no wonder that Stanford's students invented the modern internet.
14:31 Obviously, the campus has been transformed, but a great deal has endured,
14:38 the beauty of the red tile roofs, the warmth of the California sun,
14:43 the smell of night Jasmine on a spring evening,
14:47 and the breadth of activity and buzz of activity.
14:53 Today that means electric bikes, scooters, cyclists, tour guides walking backwards,
15:00 (attendees cheering) a few weeks ago,
15:01 a group of students gave me a ride in their self-driving golf cart
15:06 and always a few too many people risking disaster by looking down at their
15:10 phones.
15:13 Walking past a classroom or a cluster of students,
15:18 the topic might be a Langston Hughes poem, a Supreme Court case,
15:23 or the latest advance in protein folding.
15:27 Last year when the CoDa Building opened,
15:30 I enjoyed stopping by in the evening to see Camille Utterback's dramatic art installation
15:37 and dozens of students studying in the atriums.
15:41 Problem sets I expect,
15:43 although I know at least one film major who favors CoDa.
15:48 This year, I made a point to walk nearly every day through the beautiful
15:52 new Graduate School of Education with students gathered at the outdoor tables.
16:01 Stanford is a place full of people who are deeply serious about what they're
16:07 pursuing,
16:09 whether it's a law degree, a dissertation on ceremonial Aramaic bowls.
16:15 Yes, we have one of those this year.
16:18 An honors thesis on market design or a national championship in women's golf.
16:24 We have one of those too.
16:27 It is also a place where people don't take themselves too seriously,
16:33 where we are curious to learn from our peers
16:36 and colleagues and sometimes in awe of them.
16:42 That is why Stanford's campus,
16:46 for all the years I have walked across it has felt open and expansive.
16:52 An environment of discovery and collisions and new perspectives.
16:58 During your time here, this has been your home.
17:03 You've taken challenging classes and conducted research.
17:06 You've made friends and built communities.
17:09 You've navigated tumultuous politics and the launch of a new technological era.
17:14 You've been the ones talking about education and literature and computer science.
17:23 Class of 2026 you help to rebuild Stanford traditions.
17:29 Full Moon on the Quad, The Band Run, Flicks,
17:32 Midnight Breakfast and invent some new ones, the On Call Cafe, line dancing.
17:43 Many of you got to see Lake Lag with water. (attendees laughs)
17:50 And this year,
17:51 you even won back the Axe.
17:54 Bravo!
18:01 (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) I am confident that as Stanford graduates,
18:03 you have learned a great deal.
18:07 But if we've really done our job,
18:09 you will learn far more on the journey ahead.
18:14 The writer Wallace Stegner, who founded Stanford's creative writing program,
18:19 once wrote a lovely book about teaching.
18:23 He talked about exposing students to ideas and inspiring them to write.
18:30 He also said of teaching, "Nobody can teach the geography of the undiscovered.
18:38 All one can do is encourage the will to explore."
18:43 I know you're leaving Stanford with that will.
18:49 One of the Stanford moments of exploration
18:51 and discovery I will remember from this year happened thousands of miles away from
18:56 campus,
18:57 when the Vera Rubin Observatory in South America saw first light
19:02 and started to release images of the cosmos. - Woo! - The observatory is
19:08 conducting one of the most ambitious astronomy projects ever conceived.
19:14 Every night, it takes a picture of a third of the southern sky.
19:19 The images are captured by the world's largest digital camera,
19:25 built by scientists and engineers here at Stanford. (attendees applauding) (attendees cheering) The pictures
19:35 20 trillion bytes of data each night,
19:39 are sent back here to campus.
19:41 And over the next 10 years,
19:43 they will be combined to create the Legacy Survey of Space and Time,
19:48 which will help astronomers explore the structure and origins of the universe.
19:54 The discoveries that are coming from Rubin are possible
19:57 because it looks at the sky in a different way.
20:00 Most telescopes capture a narrow slice of the sky.
20:04 Rubin surveys a vast swath.
20:08 The history of astronomy has many examples where new perspectives led to discovery.
20:14 Galileo used an early telescope to help prove that the earth orbited the sun.
20:19 The telescopes that improved on Galileo allowed astronomers to define the rings of Saturn
20:26 and to measure the distance between stars.
20:29 The trade-off was that the images they produced were upside down and reversed.
20:36 The inversion must have been incredibly disorienting,
20:40 but a different perspective gave clear reviews and better understanding.
20:47 Sometimes, perhaps often disorientation comes before things resolve into greater understanding.
20:53 I expect that too as an experience you've had at Stanford.
20:59 At Stanford, not everyone studies the universe through a telescope,
21:03 but we are all constantly asked to shift our perspectives.
21:07 Universities are designed to bring together people with a vast array of expertise
21:15 and different ways of looking at,
21:17 and thinking about, the world.
21:21 This is a great power of the university.
21:24 In a few moments, we will confer degrees from seven schools.
21:30 Among you are artists and physicians, humanists and pioneers of technology, political scientists, lawyers,
21:39 educators, and physicists.
21:43 Each of you brought to Stanford a different background and different interests.
21:47 Each of you has had the freedom to navigate your own path,
21:51 and to forge relationships, hopefully lifelong ones, with your peers.
21:57 That panoply is distinctive to American universities, and essential to our educational mission,
22:05 especially to providing a broad liberal education.
22:09 The best learning, insights,
22:11 and solutions come from the freedom to think and from connecting disparate ideas.
22:19 That is why the campus is designed to create intersections and discussions and friendships.
22:28 A campus with a broad range of views is not always easy.
22:32 Proximity creates friction.
22:35 There is friction in bringing together people who think about the world in different
22:38 ways,
22:40 have different aspirations, perhaps value different things.
22:45 But when the university is at its best, the friction is illuminating.
22:51 It generates light rather than heat.
22:55 That is what we try to accomplish at Stanford.
22:59 So as you graduate, I encourage you to explore,
23:04 to be ready to shift perspectives, and to not shy away from friction,
23:10 but in doing so, to seek to bring light,
23:14 to the people around you and to the world.
23:18 Class of 2026, congratulations!
23:33 (attendees applauding) (attendees cheering)
23:33 And that brings me to another Stanford graduate today's commencement speaker,
23:37 Sundar Pichai. (attendees applauding) (attendees cheering) Sundar is an insightful and deeply thoughtful leader.
23:48 He grew up in Southern India in the city of Chennai.
23:52 As a child, he dreamed of becoming a professional cricket player,
23:58 which is funny 'cause I thought I would be the center fielder for the
24:00 Yankees,
24:02 only to discover that he was better suited to engineering.
24:06 He earned his undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur,
24:12 and then came here to Stanford.
24:16 It was a life changing experience.
24:19 He came to Stanford to study semiconductor physics
24:22 and being here opened his eyes to the United States
24:25 and to entirely new opportunities.
24:28 Sundar worked for applied materials and eventually joined Google in 2004.
24:33 He led the development of Google Chrome,
24:35 which became the world's most popular internet browser.
24:38 He took on increasing responsibility, overseeing Google Maps, Google Search, and Gmail.
24:44 In 2015, he became CEO of Google,
24:47 and today he is CEO of Google and Alphabet.
24:51 Under Sundar's leadership, Google provides services used by billions of people
24:55 and is one of the most innovative companies in the world.
25:00 Sundar himself has modeled thoughtfulness, humility,
25:04 and determination in leadership
25:06 and in making decisions of consequence to Google
25:09 and to the world.
25:11 Please join me in welcoming Sundar Pichai. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) - President Levin,
25:28 Provost Martinez, trustees, senior class presidents,
25:34 thank you for the invitation to address you today
25:37 and to the distinguished Class of 2026,
25:49 congratulations. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) I must warn you all.
25:50 This is only the second commencement speech I've ever given.
25:54 The first was literally in my backyard.
25:58 It was the spring of 2020, right in the middle of COVID and lockdowns.
26:03 We were filming a YouTube commencement for the graduates who couldn't have their own
26:08 celebrations like this one.
26:12 When I look back on it, I see a time of great anxiety.
26:17 I see the empty space where there should have been an audience.
26:22 I see the haircut I gave myself right before filming.
26:28 In fact, I really wish I could unsee it.
26:31 Today what I see in front of me is how graduation should be.
26:36 Graduates celebrating together and with the people you love who have supported you on
26:42 your journey,
26:43 your parents, relatives, friends, professors, and everyone who helped you reach this milestone.
26:51 Let's give them another round of applause.
26:53 They deserve it. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) I know not everyone you care about
27:06 could be here.
27:08 Many of you came from other parts of the country
27:10 and the world as I had,
27:13 and it's not always possible for families to travel.
27:17 In fact, this is the first time my mom
27:19 and dad are attending a graduation ceremony I'm a part of,
27:22 so let me say a special thanks to them
27:25 and to my entire family here with me. (attendees applauding) I know today is
27:35 about giving you all advice,
27:38 but people have also been giving me a lot of advice on what to
27:42 say.
27:43 Actually, it's been the same advice and it's about what not to say.
27:50 People thought it would be really difficult for me,
27:52 it's the last two letters of my last name after all.
27:56 In all honesty, the topic is truly material to what I wanna share with
28:01 you.
28:01 The most timeless advice I've learned is technology agnostic.
28:06 It's about you, the life you want to build for yourself,
28:09 and the choices that help you pursue that life.
28:13 Some of you know what you're pursuing already.
28:16 Congratulations.
28:17 Enjoy closing down The Rose and Crown now;
28:20 it gets tougher with a day job.
28:24 Many of you may have absolutely no clue.
28:26 That's okay too.
28:28 I remember feeling uncertain on graduation day.
28:32 The sense that life was a series of really big moments,
28:36 and the pressure I felt to get them all exactly right.
28:40 This is especially true for a group of high achievers who have sweated every
28:45 grade,
28:46 every paper, every exam, who have focused on having the right mix of activities,
28:52 athletics, internships, and now your first jobs.
28:56 I'm going to let you in on a little secret.
28:58 While these things matter in the moment,
29:01 they are much less consequential than you might think.
29:06 You could have failed that biology test, skipped a class,
29:10 never learned to play the tuba.
29:12 And you'd still probably be here today.
29:14 Let me tell you a story of how I started to learn this for
29:18 myself.
29:19 When I was a student here, I had a classmate named Pat.
29:24 He was from Long Beach, had an earring in one ear,
29:26 which I thought was really edgy at the time, and a white,
29:30 two-door Honda Prelude convertible.
29:33 One Wednesday morning in January, my first winter quarter,
29:37 we were on our way to class.
29:39 He was like, "Do you wanna go to Vegas instead?"
29:43 I had never skipped a class.
29:44 I had definitely never taken a road trip before.
29:48 In fact, this is the first time my parents are hearing of it. (attendees
29:52 laughs) And yet,
29:53 I said, "Sure."
29:53 So we went back to our dorm rooms, grabbed some things, and set off.
29:58 You have to cut through the mountains to get there.
30:00 As we drove through them, it started to snow.
30:04 I had never seen snow before.
30:06 I stuck my hand out to grab it,
30:08 and I couldn't believe the softness of the flurries.
30:11 Pat stopped the car so I could get out.
30:14 It was really beautiful, a moment I'll never forget.
30:18 Nine hours from when we set out,
30:20 we arrived in Vegas with the night lights on the horizon.
30:24 I didn't know what to think.
30:25 Pat taught me how to play blackjack.
30:28 I started with $5 and did manage to win about 15 more,
30:32 and was like, "I'm out!"
30:35 We didn't have enough money to stay long,
30:36 so the next day we started the drive back.
30:39 No one seemed to notice that we had missed class.
30:42 For the first time,
30:43 I realized the world won't end if I relaxed a little.
30:46 You're going to face a lot of moments in your life.
30:49 Only a few of them are really important
30:52 and you need to get them right.
30:53 Picking a partner, choosing whether to start a family, a bigger career pivot.
30:59 Those decisions require time and intention.
31:03 However, you will face many more moments in your life
31:07 that only seem really big,
31:09 thousands of them, in fact.
31:11 And very few of them are make or break.
31:14 Your first job out of college?
31:16 The city you move to next?
31:18 Whether to take that road trip?
31:21 While those moments add texture to your journey,
31:23 they rarely determine the course of your life.
31:26 But if you are able to filter the signal through the noise,
31:30 you can nudge your life in these moments into having the impact you want.
31:34 So today, I wanna share three simple filters I've applied to my own life.
31:39 Three filters that have helped me get more moments right than wrong
31:42 and took some of the pressure off.
31:45 First, choose optimism.
31:48 This might not ring true to you at this moment.
31:51 The world is going through a lot.
31:53 Global conflicts, economic anxiety, a rewiring of technology, information overload,
32:00 all at a fast pace.
32:02 It's easy to look at the news of the day
32:05 and think that we're living in uniquely challenging times.
32:08 For me, it's helpful to remember
32:10 that each generation has faced hardship in their own way.
32:14 We don't get to choose the world we graduate into,
32:17 but we do get to choose how we frame our circumstances.
32:21 This was something my parents instilled in me at a young age.
32:25 I grew up in the vibrant city of Chennai, India.
32:28 It was a comfortable life for the most part,
32:31 but in those early years we had some challenges.
32:33 We worried about severe drought and whether the water trucks would arrive in time.
32:38 And for us, technology came slowly.
32:41 We had to wait years to get a telephone, a TV, a refrigerator.
32:45 Each changed our lives in meaningful ways.
32:48 My parents never let the constraints limit my imagination of what was possible.
32:53 It's the reason I even let myself dream I could one day work in
32:57 a far-away place called Silicon Valley.
32:59 When the call from Stanford came,
33:01 my father spent the equivalent of a year's salary to buy my ticket.
33:05 It was my first time on a plane.
33:08 When I landed in California, it wasn't exactly as I had imagined.
33:12 I remember that first drive down 280 coming from the airport with my host
33:17 family.
33:17 If you're not from here, California is advertised as being really lush and green.
33:22 But when I looked out the window, it was more brown.
33:25 I guess I said this out loud.
33:27 I'm not sure why.
33:28 My host, Mrs.
33:29 Jane Earl, gently corrected me.
33:31 "We prefer to call it golden," she said.
33:35 And that's exactly what I mean by choosing optimism.
33:38 It's about reframing for the positive.
33:41 Where I saw brown, she saw golden.
33:44 This slight change of perspective had a huge ripple effect on how I thought
33:48 about the world around me.
33:50 Lush forestry wasn't all that was misadvertised, if I'm being honest.
33:55 The ocean looks warm and inviting on the brochure.
33:58 A Stanford professor even emailed me before I accepted
34:00 and used the beautiful beaches
34:02 as a selling point.
34:04 So the first time I went to the beach in Santa Cruz,
34:06 I ran fully into the water.
34:08 It was not warm.
34:10 I've since learned that the Atlantic can be warmer which, by the way,
34:13 is the only reason Stanford joining the ACC makes any sense at all. (attendees
34:19 laughs) Despite the brown hills
34:21 and cold ocean,
34:21 it seemed like almost everyone I encountered had a generally positive outlook on life.
34:27 Maybe it's because you can wear shorts all year, I don't know.
34:31 I found myself adopting this California optimism.
34:34 And it helped me navigate one of my bigger pivots during my time at
34:39 Stanford.
34:39 I came here fully intending to get my PhD, and to move into academics.
34:43 Life had other plans, and I needed to get a job sooner.
34:47 So I left my doctorate program,
34:48 and Stanford was generous to offer me the chance to fulfill the requirements for
34:53 a master's.
34:54 I could have seen it as the end of a dream.
34:57 But thanks to Mrs.
34:58 Earl, I was able to see that particular brown hill as golden.
35:02 In that moment, I chose optimism.
35:05 The second filter is to gravitate towards working on hard things.
35:11 I'd love to tell you I was an immediate success after leaving Stanford,
35:14 I wasn't.
35:15 Even a decade later, I felt like I wasn't on the right path,
35:18 and it took me a while to find my footing.
35:21 Until I applied to Google.
35:23 I had my final interview there in 2004.
35:26 It was April Fool's Day and the day Gmail launched.
35:31 So when my interviewers asked me about it,
35:33 I wasn't sure if it was a joke or a real product.
35:37 That's because at the time,
35:38 one gigabyte of free storage for everyone felt super ambitious, and almost impossible.
35:44 A couple years into the job,
35:46 I got my chance to work on a seemingly impossible problem, too.
35:50 It was around this time that the internet was moving into a new phase.
35:55 The web was evolving from simple web pages to rich applications.
35:59 There was a group of us
36:00 that felt we could reimagine the browser to be much better
36:03 and faster,
36:04 and we had an early prototype that we thought was pretty good.
36:09 Internally, there was a consensus that building a browser would be incredibly difficult,
36:14 requiring hundreds of engineers.
36:16 We had a group of about 10.
36:19 The consensus was right.
36:20 It was going to be really hard.
36:22 In some ways we were naive,
36:25 and it's good to be a bit irrational when you approach new things.
36:29 And in 2008, we launched what we thought was a great browser.
36:32 We had eight million users in the first 24 hours,
36:35 and the reviews were really positive.
36:37 And then user growth stagnated.
36:40 After a year, we had around two percent share.
36:43 I remember Steve Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft,
36:46 made fun of Chrome in an interview and called it a rounding error.
36:51 It could have been demoralizing.
36:53 But with that California optimism,
36:54 I told the team
36:56 that the fact he went out of his way to dismiss us meant we
36:59 were doing something right.
37:01 We kept going, setting highly aggressive stretch goals to keep the team pushing.
37:06 We rapidly iterated, shipping the browser every six weeks
37:11 while others shipped one maybe every six months to a year.
37:14 Success began to follow.
37:17 Working on hard things has taught me a lot.
37:20 It typically attracts other great and optimistic people.
37:23 And even if you miss meeting the high goals you set,
37:27 you'll still achieve something great.
37:29 So when you have the choice to work on something hard, say yes.
37:34 And the third filter I use, when all else is equal,
37:38 do the thing that excites you.
37:40 For me, that has always been access to technology.
37:44 The more access my family had, the better our lives got.
37:48 I didn't have much access to a computer until I came to Stanford.
37:52 So you can imagine my surprise
37:55 when I walked into Sweet Hall
37:56 and saw rows and rows of computers
37:59 that I could use anytime I wanted.
38:01 It was 1993, and the internet was being built literally all around me.
38:06 I saw it as a fundamental enabler of human progress.
38:09 The idea that I could be a part of bringing it to
38:12 as many people as possible was exciting.
38:16 It's why I took the offer at Google,
38:18 why I jumped at the chance to work on projects like Chromebooks
38:21 and Android later on.
38:23 Several years ago, I remember meeting a group of women in rural India using
38:28 Android smartphones for the first time,
38:30 to learn new trades, to speak with loved ones far away.
38:34 And I remember visiting a classroom in Pittsburgh
38:37 and seeing students from different backgrounds learning through the products I helped to build.
38:42 Seeing computing change people's lives
38:44 as it had changed mine was the most exciting thing in the world to
38:48 me.
38:49 So as you look at your own path,
38:51 don't focus on the thing your parents want you to do,
38:55 or the thing all your friends are doing, or that society expects of you.
39:00 Instead, think about the things
39:01 that keep you chatting excitedly with your roommates late into the night.
39:06 And go do those things.
39:08 Class of 2026, I genuinely believe you're the most capable class in history.
39:14 At least until next year's class, that's how progress works.
39:19 You have thousands of moments ahead of you.
39:21 The important thing isn't to get them all right.
39:24 It's to find a way to keep moving forward.
39:27 Sometimes we end up somewhere wonderful, like a beautiful snow-capped mountain.
39:32 Other times we end up in, well, Vegas...
39:35 Both are a gift.
39:37 You already have the California optimism to see life's golden hills,
39:42 and a Stanford diploma proving you can do hard things.
39:46 Now, go out and set your heart ablaze!
40:04 Congratulations!
40:04 (attendees applauding) (attendees cheering) - Okay, thank you, Sundar, for those wonderful remarks.
40:08 We've now come to the part of the ceremony where we will confer the
40:16 degrees. - Mr.
40:16 President, first I have the honor to recognize all those who have completed the
40:24 requirements for master's and doctoral degrees.
40:29 They will be presented to you by the deans of their schools. - Will
40:45 the candidates from the School of Engineering,
40:48 please stand if you are able. (attendees applauding) (attendees cheering) Mr.
41:02 President, I present to you those who have completed the requirements for the degrees
41:08 of Master of Science,
41:10 Engineer and Doctor of Philosophy. - Thank you, Dean Whitham.
41:15 By the authority vested in me by the faculty and trustees of this university.
41:21 I'm delighted to confer publicly upon you the degrees for
41:26 which you have been presented
41:28 and to admit you to their rights,
41:30 responsibilities, and privileges.
41:33 Congratulations. (attendees applauding) (attendees cheering) - Will the graduates from the School of Engineering,
41:47 please be seated. - Will the candidates from the School of Law,
42:03 please stand if you are able. (attendees applauding) (attendees cheering) Mr.
42:13 President, I present to you those who have completed the requirements for the degrees
42:18 of Doctors of Jurisprudence,
42:20 Master of Laws, Master of the Science of Law,
42:24 and Doctor of the Science of Law. - Thank you, Dean Triantis.
42:29 By the authority vested in me by the faculty and trustees of this university.
42:34 I am delighted to confer publicly upon you the degrees for
42:39 which you have been presented
42:41 and to admit you to their rights,
42:43 responsibilities, and privileges.
42:46 Congratulations. (attendees applauding) (attendees cheering) - Will the graduates from the School of Law,
42:57 please be seated. - Will the graduates from the Graduate School of Education,
43:10 please stand if you are able. (attendees applauding) (attendees cheering) More.
43:15 More. (attendees applauding) Mr.
43:18 President, I present to you those who have completed the requirements for the degrees
43:22 of Master of Arts,
43:23 Master's of Science and Doctor of Philosophy. - Thank you, Dean Schwartz,
43:28 and on the occasion of your final commencement
43:31 as Dean of the Graduate School of Education,
43:34 please accept our thanks for your service to the university. (attendees applauding) (attendees cheering)
43:48 And now by the authority vested in me by the faculty
43:51 and trustees of this university,
43:54 I am delighted to confer publicly upon you the degrees for
43:58 which you have been presented
44:00 and to admit you to their rights,
44:02 responsibilities, and privileges.
44:05 Congratulations. (attendees applauding) (attendees cheering) - Will the graduates from this Graduate School of Education,
44:12 please be seated. - Will the candidates from the School of Humanities and Sciences,
44:28 please stand if you are able. (attendees applauding) (attendees cheering) Mr.
44:39 President, I present to you those who have completed the requirements for the degree
44:44 of Master of Arts,
44:46 Master of Fine Arts, Master of Liberal Arts, Master of Public Policy,
44:52 Master of Science, Doctor of Musical Arts,
44:56 and Doctor of Philosophy. (attendees applauding) (attendees cheering) - Thank you, Dean Satz.
45:07 By the authority vested in me by the faculty and trustees of this university.
45:11 I am delighted to confer publicly upon you the degrees for
45:15 which you have been presented
45:17 and to admit you to their rights,
45:19 responsibilities, and privileges.
45:29 Congratulations. (attendees applauding) (attendees cheering) - Will the graduates from the School of Humanities
45:32 and Sciences,
45:33 please be seated. - Will the candidates from the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability,
45:48 please stand if you're able. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) Mr.
46:04 President, I present to you those who have completed the requirements for the degrees
46:09 of Master of Arts,
46:11 Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy. - Thank you, Dean Majumdar.
46:17 By the authority vested in me by the faculty and trustees of this university.
46:22 I am delighted to confer publicly upon you the degrees for
46:27 which you have been presented
46:29 and to admit you to their rights,
46:32 responsibilities, and privileges.
46:34 Congratulations. (attendees applauding) (attendees cheering) - Will the graduates from the Stanford Doerr School
46:46 of Sustainability please be seated. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) - Will the candidates from
47:33 the Graduate School of Business,
47:35 please stand if you are able. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) Mr.
47:45 President, I present to you those who have completed the requirements for the degree
47:51 of Master's of Arts in Business Research,
47:55 Master of Science and Management, Master of Business Administration,
48:00 and Doctor of Philosophy. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) - Thank you, Dean Soule.
48:06 And may I welcome you to your first commencement
48:08 as Dean of the Graduate School of Business. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) By the
48:18 authority vested in me by the faculty
48:21 and trustees of this university,
48:24 I am delighted to confer publicly upon you the degrees for
48:28 which you have been presented
48:30 and to admit you to their rights,
48:33 responsibilities, and privileges.
48:35 Congratulations. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) - Will the graduates of the School of Business,
48:50 please be seated. - Will the candidates from the School of Medicine,
48:57 please stand if you're able. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) Mr.
49:08 President, I present to you those who have completed the requirements for the degrees
49:13 of Master of Science
49:15 and Physician Assistant Studies,
49:17 Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy,
49:20 and Doctor of Medicine. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) - Thank you, Dean Minor.
49:30 By the authority vested in me by the faculty and trustees of this university,
49:35 I am delighted to confer publicly upon you the degrees for
49:39 which you have been presented
49:42 and to admit you to their rights,
49:44 responsibilities, and privileges.
49:55 Congratulations. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) - Will the graduates for the School of Medicine,
49:57 please be seated. - Well, President Levin, have we forgotten anyone?
50:14 (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) I don't hear anything.
50:16 The GSB was louder. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) - Wait,
50:26 the undergraduates. - The undergrads. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) Now Mr.
50:35 President, I have the honor to recognize all those who have completed the requirements
50:42 for undergraduate degrees.
50:44 Will the recipients of the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science,
50:52 and Bachelor of Arts and Science,
50:52 please stand if you are able. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) Mr.
51:14 President, I present to you those who have completed the requirements for Bachelor of
51:19 Arts,
51:20 Bachelor of Science, and the Bachelor of Arts
51:23 and Sciences degree. - By the authority vested in me by the faculty
51:28 and trustees of this university I am delighted to confer publicly upon each of
51:34 you the bachelor degree
51:36 and to admit you to its rights,
51:39 responsibilities, and privileges.
52:01 Congratulations. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) - Will the graduates please be seated. (attendees cheering) - 26,
52:23 26, 26, 26, 26, 26, 26, 26, 26, 26!
52:23 (attendees cheering) - Thank you, Provost Martinez.
52:25 Stanford Class of 2026,
52:29 thank you for giving us the opportunity to come together to celebrate you.
52:35 Today you leave the family of Stanford students,
52:39 but you'll always have a home here at Stanford.
52:44 I'd like to close with a passage that's traditionally been read at Stanford commencement.
52:49 It's from Adlai Stevenson.
52:53 Your days are short here.
52:56 This is the last of your springs.
53:00 And now in the serenity and quiet of this lovely place,
53:05 touch the depths of truth, feel the hem of Heaven.
53:10 You will go away with old, good friends.
53:15 And don't forget when you leave why you came.
53:28 Congratulations. (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) Now please rise
53:29 if you're able for the Stanford hymn
53:31 and the benediction. (attendees cheering) ♪ Where the rolling foothills rise ♪ ♪ Up
55:28 toward mountains higher ♪ ♪ Where at eve the coast range lies ♪ ♪
55:28 In the sunset fire ♪ ♪ Flushing deep
55:28 and paling ♪ ♪ Here we raise our voices,
55:28 hailing ♪ ♪ Thee, our Alma Mater ♪ ♪ From the foothills to the
55:28 bay ♪ ♪ It shall ring ♪ ♪
55:28 As we sing ♪ ♪ It shall ring
55:28 and float away ♪ ♪ Hail,
55:28 Stanford, hail ♪ ♪ Hail, Stanford,
55:28 hail ♪ (attendees cheering) (attendees applauding) - Let us be together one last time.
55:34 In the days and weeks
55:35 and years to come may we hold fast to our will to explore,
55:42 to traverse the geography of the undiscovered ever pursuing new ways to see the
55:48 world transforming not simply perspective
55:52 but possibility.
55:54 May we take delight in disorienting
55:57 and disparate ideas using friction to illuminate our collective path forward.
56:04 Remaining ever deeply serious about what we are pursuing,
56:09 but never too serious about ourselves.
56:14 And may we cherish the things
56:15 that matter most fervently
56:18 and faithfully devoted to a life we seek to build leaning into hard challenges,
56:25 saying yes to what excites us.
56:28 And confident.
56:30 Confident that pursuing our passions transforms not simply our lives,
56:36 but the lives of countless others.
56:41 Friends, in the thousand moments that lie before us,
56:45 may we remember life's most important lesson.
56:50 We don't get to choose the world we inherit,
56:55 but we do get to choose how we respond to it.
57:01 It is never about getting it right.
57:03 No, it is about finding a way forward.
57:08 So let us go forth this day filled with joy
57:13 and our accomplishment and hope for our future ever seeing brown
57:17 as golden as we bring light to the world through our passion,
57:22 curiosity, and boundless optimism.
57:43 Amen. (ceremonious music) - Graduates,
57:45 please remain standing at your seats
57:47 as the faculty and president's party recess from the field. (ceremonious music) (ceremonious music
57:49 continues) (ceremonious music continues) (ceremonious music continues) (ceremonious music continues) (ceremonious music continues) (ceremonious
57:49 music continues) (ceremonious music continues) (ceremonious music continues)
