I could help but laugh out my life when i read this...i guess it was a joke anyway...
What follows is a transcript of the speech delivered
by Larry Ellison, CEO of ORACLE (2nd Richest man on
the planet) at the Yale University to their
graduating class of year 2000...just read thru
Graduate of Yale University I apologise if you have
endured this kind of prologue before, but in want you
to do something for me. Please take a good look around
you. Look at the classmate on your left. Look at the
classmate on your right. Now consider this:
Five years from now, 10 years from now, even 30 years
from now, odds are the person on your left is going to
be a looser. The person on your right meanwhile is
going to be a loser. And you in the middle? What can
you expect? Loser. Loserhood. Loser cum laude.
In fact as I look before me today, I don?t see a
thousand hopes for a bright tomorrow. I don?t see a
thousand future leaders in a thousand industries. Isee
a thousand losers.
?You are upset. That?s understandable. After all, how
can I Larry Ellison, college dropout, have the
audacity to spout such heresy the to the graduating
class of one of the nations most
prestigiousinstitution?
I?ll tell you why. Because I, Lawrence Ellison, second
richest man on the planet ,am a college dropout andyou
are not.
Because Bill Gates, the richest man on the planet-for
now anyway-is a college dropout and you are not.
Because Paul Allen, the third richest man on the
planet dropped out of college and you did not. And for
good measure, because Michael Dell, now No 9 on the
list and moving fast, is a college dropout and you
yetagain are not.
Hmm you are very upset, that is understandable. So let
me stroke your egos for a moment by pointing out quite
sincerely, That your diplomas were not attained in
vain. Most of you I imagined have spent four to five
years here , and in many ways that you have learned
and endured will serve you well in the years to come.
You have established a network of people that will
help you down the road, and you have established what
will be a life long relationship with the word
?therapy? .All that of course is good. For in truth
you will need that network. You will need those strong
habits. You will need the therapy.
You will need them because you did not drop out. And
so will never be amongst the richest people in the
planet. Oh sure, you may perhaps work your way up to
No 10 or No 11 like Steve Ballmer. But then I don?t
have to tell you who he really works for, do I? And
for the records he dropped out if grad school. Bit ofa
late bloomer.
?Finally I realised that many of you and hopefully by
now most of you are wondering, is there anything I can
do? Is there any hope for me at all?
Actually no. It?s too late. You have absorbed too
much, think you know too much. You are not 19 anymore.
You have built-in cap, and I am not referring to
themortal boards on your heads.
Hmm you?re upset. That is understandable. So perhaps
this would be a good time to bring up the silver
lining. Not for you class of 2000.You are write-offs,
so, I will let you slink off to your pathetic
$200,000- a-year job, where your cheques will be
signed by former classmates who dropped out two
yearsago.
Instead I want to give hope to any underclassmen here
today. I say to you and I can?t stress this enough:
Leave. Pack your things and your ideas and don?t come
back. Drop out. Start up. For I can tell you a cap and
a gown will keep you down just as surely as this
security guards dragging me off this stage are keeping
me dow?.