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TECHNOLOGY Tuesday 30 May 2017

Zuckerberg urges Harvard grads to build a world of ‘purpose’

BARBARA ORTUTAY
AP Technology Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Mark
Zuckerberg returned Thurs-
day to Harvard, where he
launched Facebook and
then dropped out, tell-
ing graduates it’s up to
them to bring purpose to
the world, fight inequality
and strengthen the global
community.
“Change starts local. Even
global changes start small
— with people like us,” the
Facebook CEO said. He
shared stories about grad-
uates such as David Razu
Aznar, a former city leader
who led the effort to legal-
ize gay marriage in Mexico
City, and Agnes Igoye,
who grew up in conflict
zones in Uganda and now
trains law enforcement of-
ficers. “And this is my story
too,” Zuckerberg added.
“A student in a dorm room,
connecting one commu-
nity at a time, and keeping Facebook CEO and Harvard dropout Mark Zuckerberg delivers the commencement address at Harvard University commencement
at it until one day we can exercises, Thursday, May 25, 2017, in Cambridge, Mass.
connect the whole world.” Associated Press
Such lofty talk now comes
naturally to Zuckerberg,
a 33-year-old billionaire working site for Harvard in his February manifesto, “Now, years later, I under- But he wasn’t feeling sorry
who has committed to students is now a global Zuckerberg is decidedly stand that is how things for himself. He wasn’t even
giving away nearly all of communications force with optimistic about all that. work with no sense of high- thinking of himself.”
his wealth. In February, he nearly 2 billion members. He’s been saying he wants er purpose. It’s up to us to If he can do this, Zucker-
sketched out an ambitious, Facebook’s founding was to make the world more create it so we can all keep berg said, “then we owe it
if vague, vision for Face- the subject of a Hollywood open and connected for moving forward together.” to the world to do our part
book that committed the movie, “The Social Net- more than a decade now, Later in the speech, Zuck- too.”
company to developing work,” in 2010. and he doesn’t relent. erberg’s voice cracked Zuckerberg isn’t all talk on
“social infrastructure” that Facebook’s effect has HIGHER PURPOSE with emotion as he talked this front. He signed the
would help build a “global been profound. It has con- He told the graduates how, about a high school stu- “Giving Pledge” commit-
community that works for nected people who would when Facebook’s investors dent he mentors who is ment to donate the major-
all of us.” But it also strikes a have never met otherwise, and executives wanted living in the U.S. illegally. ity of his money in 2010; five
sharp contrast with the crit- letting them form support- him to sell the company When Zuckerberg asked years later, he upped that
icism Facebook has taken ive networks online and early on, he resisted. “You him what he wants for his to 99 percent. Together
recently — not so much for offline. And it has allowed see, my hope was never birthday, the student start- with his wife, pediatrician
connecting the world (a people to communicate in to build a company, but to ed talking about others he Priscilla Chan, he formed
big chunk of it, anyway) developing countries even make an impact,” he said. wanted to help, and asked the Chan Zuckerberg Ini-
as for failing to anticipate if they don’t have a phone But as a young CEO, he for a book on social justice. tiative, a philanthropic
how vulnerable that con- number or a smartphone. never explained this to his “Here is a young guy who organization focused on
nectedness could be to But it has also served to co-workers, and the subse- has every reason to be advancing science and
those who abuse it. spread misinformation bor- quent fight “tore our com- cynical,” Zuckerberg said, education.
JOURNEY BACK dering on propaganda, pany apart.” his eyes welling with tears. HONORARY DEGREE
Zuckerberg, who like the hateful views and bullying, “I wondered if I was just “He wasn’t sure if the coun- Zuckerberg follows another
graduates is a millennial, reflecting the worst parts of wrong, an impostor, a try he calls home — the famous Harvard dropout,
started Facebook in his humanity back to us. 22 year-old kid who had only one he’s known — Bill Gates, who spoke be-
dorm room in 2004. What In his commencement no idea how the world was going to deny him his fore its graduates a de-
began as a closed net- speech, in interviews and worked,” Zuckerberg said. dream of going to college. cade ago.q