MORE FROM THE AUTHOR
Google's India born Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sundar Pichai has revealed how his father spent his one-year salary on his flight ticket to the US so that he could pursue his studies at Stanford University.
Recalling his humble roots at YouTube's Dear Class of 2020 virtual ceremony on Monday, the 47-year old further stated that it was the first time he had sat on a plane.
"My father spent the equivalent of a year's salary on my plane ticket to the US so I could attend Stanford. It was my first time ever on a plane," Pichai said, adding that the only thing that got him to where he is today, other than luck, was his passion for technology and an open mind.
He highlighted that despite his struggles during his younger years, computing was a bright spot for him.
Asking students not to lose hope amid the coronavirus pandemic that has gripped the world, Pichai urged them to "be open, be impatient, be hopeful" enunciating that "if you can do that, history will remember the Class of 2020 not for what you lost, but for what you changed. You have the chance to change everything. I am optimistic you will."
He noted that the post-COVID-19 world will have a new normal of working remotely, thereby balancing life and work while following social distancing norms.
The virtual ceremony saw participation from former US President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Korean pop group BTS, singers Beyonce and Lady Gaga, former Defense Secretary Robert M Gates, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and activist Malala Yousafzai.
Google's India born Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sundar Pichai has revealed how his father spent his one-year salary on his flight ticket to the US so that he could pursue his studies at Stanford University.
Recalling his humble roots at YouTube's Dear Class of 2020 virtual ceremony on Monday, the 47-year old further stated that it was the first time he had sat on a plane.
"My father spent the equivalent of a year's salary on my plane ticket to the US so I could attend Stanford. It was my first time ever on a plane," Pichai said, adding that the only thing that got him to where he is today, other than luck, was his passion for technology and an open mind.
He highlighted that despite his struggles during his younger years, computing was a bright spot for him.
Asking students not to lose hope amid the coronavirus pandemic that has gripped the world, Pichai urged them to "be open, be impatient, be hopeful" enunciating that "if you can do that, history will remember the Class of 2020 not for what you lost, but for what you changed. You have the chance to change everything. I am optimistic you will."
He noted that the post-COVID-19 world will have a new normal of working remotely, thereby balancing life and work while following social distancing norms.
The virtual ceremony saw participation from former US President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Korean pop group BTS, singers Beyonce and Lady Gaga, former Defense Secretary Robert M Gates, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and activist Malala Yousafzai.
MORE FROM THE AUTHOR
Also Read: Coronavirus: 'Proud of Google but time to slow down hiring,' says CEO Sundar Pichai
Asking students not to lose hope amid the coronavirus pandemic that has gripped the world, Pichai urged them to "be open, be impatient, be hopeful" enunciating that "if you can do that, history will remember the Class of 2020 not for what you lost, but for what you changed. You have the chance to change everything. I am optimistic you will."
He noted that the post-COVID-19 world will have a new normal of working remotely, thereby balancing life and work while following social distancing norms.
The virtual ceremony saw participation from former US President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Korean pop group BTS, singers Beyonce and Lady Gaga, former Defense Secretary Robert M Gates, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and activist Malala Yousafzai
Talking about the bleak times in the wake of coronavirus-induced lockdown all across the world Pichai said, "I don't think this is the graduation ceremony any of you imagined. At a time when you should be celebrating all the knowledge you have gained, you may be grieving what you have lost: the moves you planned, the jobs you earned, and the experiences you were looking forward to. In bleak moments like these, it can be difficult to find hope."
Pichai sought to assure the students that classes at various points in time have had to overcome challenges - whether it was the class of 1920 that graduated into the end of a deadly pandemic or the class of 1970 that graduated in the midst of the Vietnam War, and even the class of 2001 that graduated a few months before the 9/11 attack in the US.
...and in all cases, they prevailed. The long arc of history tells us we have every reason to be hopeful. So be hopeful," he said. Pichai pointed to how generations often underestimate the potential of the following one.
"It is because they don't realise that the progress of one generation becomes the foundational premise for the next. It takes a new set of people to come along and realise all the possibilities," he explained.
Pichai drew comparisons between how he had grown up without much access to technology, and children nowadays are growing up with computers of all shapes and sizes.
"There are probably things about technology that frustrate you and make you impatient. Don't lose that impatience. It will create the next technology revolution and enable you to build things my generation could never dream of. You may be just as frustrated by my generation's approach to climate change, or education. Be impatient. It will create the progress the world needs," he said. He exuded confidence that the youngsters will make the world better in their own ways.
"The important thing is to be open-minded so you can find what you love...so take the time to find the thing that excites you more than anything else in the world. Not the thing your parents want you to do. Or the thing that all your friends are doing. Or what society expects of you," he said.
Also Read: Coronavirus: 'Proud of Google but time to slow down hiring,' says CEO Sundar Pichai
Asking students not to lose hope amid the coronavirus pandemic that has gripped the world, Pichai urged them to "be open, be impatient, be hopeful" enunciating that "if you can do that, history will remember the Class of 2020 not for what you lost, but for what you changed. You have the chance to change everything. I am optimistic you will."
He noted that the post-COVID-19 world will have a new normal of working remotely, thereby balancing life and work while following social distancing norms.
The virtual ceremony saw participation from former US President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Korean pop group BTS, singers Beyonce and Lady Gaga, former Defense Secretary Robert M Gates, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and activist Malala Yousafzai
Talking about the bleak times in the wake of coronavirus-induced lockdown all across the world Pichai said, "I don't think this is the graduation ceremony any of you imagined. At a time when you should be celebrating all the knowledge you have gained, you may be grieving what you have lost: the moves you planned, the jobs you earned, and the experiences you were looking forward to. In bleak moments like these, it can be difficult to find hope."
Pichai sought to assure the students that classes at various points in time have had to overcome challenges - whether it was the class of 1920 that graduated into the end of a deadly pandemic or the class of 1970 that graduated in the midst of the Vietnam War, and even the class of 2001 that graduated a few months before the 9/11 attack in the US.
...and in all cases, they prevailed. The long arc of history tells us we have every reason to be hopeful. So be hopeful," he said. Pichai pointed to how generations often underestimate the potential of the following one.
"It is because they don't realise that the progress of one generation becomes the foundational premise for the next. It takes a new set of people to come along and realise all the possibilities," he explained.
Pichai drew comparisons between how he had grown up without much access to technology, and children nowadays are growing up with computers of all shapes and sizes.
"There are probably things about technology that frustrate you and make you impatient. Don't lose that impatience. It will create the next technology revolution and enable you to build things my generation could never dream of. You may be just as frustrated by my generation's approach to climate change, or education. Be impatient. It will create the progress the world needs," he said. He exuded confidence that the youngsters will make the world better in their own ways.
"The important thing is to be open-minded so you can find what you love...so take the time to find the thing that excites you more than anything else in the world. Not the thing your parents want you to do. Or the thing that all your friends are doing. Or what society expects of you," he said.
- Get link
- Other Apps
Labels
sundar pichai story- Get link
- Other Apps
Comments
Post a Comment