比尔盖茨哈佛演讲稿.docx

比尔盖茨哈佛演讲稿.docx

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比尔盖茨哈佛演讲稿

PresidentBok,formerPresidentRudenstine,incomingPresidentFaust,membersoftheHarvardCorporationandtheBoardofOverseers,membersofthefaculty,parents,andespecially,thegraduates:

I'vebeenwaitingmorethan30yearstosaythis:

"Dad,IalwaystoldyouI'dcomebackandgetmydegree."

IwanttothankHarvardforthistimelyhonor.I'llbechangingmyjobnextyear…anditwillbenicetofinallyhaveacollegedegreeonmyresume.Iapplaudthegraduatestodayfortakingamuchmoredirectroutetoyourdegrees.Formypart,I'mjusthappythattheCrimsonhascalledme"Harvard'smostsuccessfuldropout."Iguessthatmakesmevaledictorianofmyownspecialclass…Ididthebestofeveryonewhofailed.ButIalsowanttoberecognizedastheguywhogotSteveBallmertodropoutofbusinessschool.I'mabadinfluence.That'swhyIwasinvitedtospeakatyourgraduation.IfIhadspokenatyourorientation,fewerofyoumightbeheretoday.

Harvardwasjustaphenomenalexperienceforme.Academiclifewasfascinating.IusedtositinonlotsofclassesIhadn'tevensignedupfor.Anddormlifewasterrific.IlivedupatRadcliffe,inCurrierHouse.Therewerealwayslotsofpeopleinmydormroomlateatnightdiscussingthings,becauseeveryoneknewIdidn'tworryaboutgettingupinthemorning.That'showIcametobetheleaderoftheanti-socialgroup.Weclungtoeachotherasawayofvalidatingourrejectionofallthosesocialpeople.Radcliffewasagreatplacetolive.Thereweremorewomenupthere,andmostoftheguyswerescience-mathtypes.Thatcombinationofferedmethebestodds,ifyouknowwhatImean.ThisisWhereIlearnedthesadlessonthatimprovingyouroddsdoesn'tguaranteesuccess.OneofmybiggestmemoriesofHarvardcameinJanuary1975,whenImadeacallFromCurrierHousetoacompanyinAlbuquerquethathadbegunmakingtheworld'sfirstpersonalcomputers.Iofferedtosellthemsoftware.IworriedthattheywouldrealizeIwasjustastudentinadormandhanguponme.Insteadtheysaid:

"We'renotquiteready,comeseeusinamonth,"whichwasagoodthing,becausewehadn'twrittenthesoftwareyet.Fromthatmoment,IworkeddayandnightonthislittleextracreditprojectthatmarkedtheendofmycollegeeducationandthebeginningofaremarkablejourneywithMicrosoft.WhatIrememberaboveallaboutHarvardwasbeinginthemidstofsomuchenergyandintelligence.Itcouldbeexhilarating,intimidating,sometimesevendiscouraging,butalwayschallenging.Itwasanamazingprivilege…andthoughIleftearly,IwastransformedbymyyearsatHarvard,thefriendshipsImade,andtheideasIworkedon.Buttakingaseriouslookback…Idohaveonebigregret.IleftHarvardwithnorealawarenessoftheawfulinequitiesintheworld--theappallingdisparitiesofhealth,andwealth,andopportunitythatcondemnmillionsofpeopletolivesofdespair.

Ileftcampusknowinglittleaboutthemillionsofyoungpeoplecheatedoutofeducationalopportunitieshereinthiscountry.AndIknewnothingaboutthemillionsofpeoplelivinginunspeakablepovertyanddiseaseindevelopingcountries.Ittookmedecadestofindout.YougraduatescametoHarvardatadifferenttime.Youknowmoreabouttheworld'sinequitiesthantheclassesthatcamebefore.Inyouryearshere,Ihopeyou'vehadachancetothinkabouthow--inthisageofacceleratingtechnology--wecanfinallytakeontheseinequities,andwecansolvethem.Imagine,justforthesakeofdiscussion,thatyouhadafewhoursaweekandafewdollarsamonthtodonatetoacause--andyouwantedtospendthattimeandmoneyWhereitwouldhavethegreatestimpactinsavingandimprovinglives.Wherewouldyouspendit?

ForMelindaandforme,thechallengeisthesame:

howcanwedothemostgoodforthegreatestnumberwiththeresourceswehave.Duringourdiscussionsonthisquestion,MelindaandIreadanarticleaboutthemillionsofchildrenwhoweredyingeveryyearinpoorcountriesFromdiseasesthatwehadlongagomadeharmlessinthiscountry.Measles,malaria,pneumonia,hepatitisB,yellowfever.OnediseaseIhadneverevenheardof,rotavirus,waskillinghalfamillionkidseachyear?

noneofthemintheUnitedStates.Wewereshocked.Wehadjustassumedthatifmillionsofchildrenweredyingandtheycouldbesaved,theworldwouldmakeitaprioritytodiscoveranddeliverthemedicinestosavethem.Butitdidnot.Forunderadollar,therewereinterventionsthatcouldsavelivesthatjustweren'tbeingdelivered.Ifyoubelievethateverylifehasequalvalue,it'srevoltingtolearnthatsomelivesareseenasworthsavingandothersarenot.Wesaidtoourselves:

"Thiscan'tbetrue.Butifitistrue,itdeservestobethepriorityofourgiving."”Sowebeganourworkinthesamewayanyoneherewouldbeginit.Weasked:

"Howcouldtheworldletthesechildrendie?

"Theanswerissimple,andharsh.Themarketdidnotrewardsavingthelivesofthesechildren,andgovernmentsdidnotsubsidizeit.Sothechildrendiedbecausetheirmothersandtheirfathershadnopowerinthemarketandnovoiceinthesystem.

ButyouandIhaveboth.Wecanmakemarketforcesworkbetterforthepoorifwecandevelopamorecreativecapitalism?

ifwecanstretchthereachofmarketforcessothatmorepeoplecanmakeaprofit,oratleastmakealiving,servingpeoplewhoaresufferingFromtheworstinequities.Wealsocanpressgovernmentsaroundtheworldtospendtaxpayermoneyinwaysthatbetterreflectthevaluesofthepeoplewhopaythetaxes.

Ifwecanfindapproachesthatmeettheneedsofthepoorinwaysthatgenerateprofitsforbusinessandvotesforpoliticians,wewillhavefoundasustainablewaytoreduceinequityintheworld.Thistaskisopen-ended.Itcanneverbefinished.Butaconsciousefforttoanswerthischallengewillchangetheworld.

Iamoptimisticthatwecandothis,butItalktoskepticswhoclaimthereisnohope.Theysay:

"Inequityhasbeenwithussincethebeginning,andwillbewithustilltheend?

becausepeoplejust…don't…care."Icompletelydisagree.Ibelievewehavemorecaringthanweknowwhattodowith.

AllofushereinthisYard,atonetimeoranother,haveseenhumantragediesthatbrokeourhearts,andyetwedidnothing--notbecausewedidn'tcare,butbecausewedidn'tknowwhattodo.Ifwehadknownhowtohelp,wewouldhaveacted.Thebarriertochangeisnottoolittlecaring;itistoomuchcomplexity.Toturncaringintoaction,weneedtoseeaproblem,seeasolution,andseetheimpact.Butcomplexityblocksallthreesteps.Ifwecanreallyseeaproblem,whichisthefirststep,wecometothesecondstep:

cuttingthroughthecomplexitytofindasolution.Findingsolutionsisessentialifwewanttomakethemostofourcaring.Ifwehaveclearandprovenanswersanytimeanorganizationorindividualasks"HowcanIhelp?

"thenwecangetaction--andwecanmakesurethatnoneofthecaringintheworldiswasted.Butcomplexitymakesithardtomarkapathofactionforeveryonewhocares--andthatmakesithardfortheircaringtomatter.Cuttingthroughcomplexitytofindasolutionrunsthroughfourpredictablestages:

determineagoal,findthehighest-leverageapproach,discovertheidealtechnologyforthatapproach,andinthemeantime,makethesmartestapplicationofthetechnologythatyoualreadyhave--whetherit'ssomethingsophisticated,likeadrug,orsomethingsimpler,likeabednet.TheAIDSepidemicoffersanexample.Thebroadgoal,ofcourse,istoendthedisease.Thehighest-leverageapproachisprevention.Theidealtechnologywouldbeavaccinethatgiveslifetimeimmunitywithasingledose.Sogovernments,drugcompanies,andfoundationsfundvaccineresearch.Buttheirworkislikelytotakemorethanadecade,sointhemeantime,wehavetoworkwithwhatwehaveinhand--andthebestpreventionapproachwehavenowisgettingpeopletoavoidriskybehavior.Pursuingthatgoalstartsthefour-stepcycleagain.Thisisthepattern.Thecrucialthingistoneverstopthinkingandworking--andneverdowhatwedidwithmalariaandtuberculosisinthe20thcentury--whichistosurrendertocomplexityandquit.Thefinalstep--afterseeingtheproblemandfindinganapproach--istomeasuretheimpactofyourworkandshareyoursuccessesandfailuressothatotherslearnFromyourefforts.Youhavetohavethestatistics,ofcourse.Youhavetobeabletoshowthataprogramisvaccinatingmillionsmorechildren.YouhavetobeabletoshowadeclineinthenumberofchildrendyingFromthesediseases.Thisisessentialnotjusttoimprovetheprogram,butalsotohelpdrawmoreinvestmentFrombusinessandgovernment.Butifyouwanttoinspirepeopletoparticipate,youhavetoshowmorethannumbers;youhavetoconveythehumanimpactofthework?

sopeoplecanfeelwhatsavingalifemeanstothefamiliesaffected.Thedefiningandongoinginnovationsofthisage--biotechnology,thecomputer,theInternet--giveusachancewe'veneverhadbeforetoendextremepovertyandenddeathFrompreventabledisease.Theemergenceoflow-costpersonalcomputersgaverisetoapowerfulnetworkthathastransformedopportunitiesforlearningandcommunicating.Themagicalthingaboutthisnetworkisnotjustthatitcollapsesdistanceandmakeseveryoneyourneighbor.Italsodramaticallyincreasesthenumberofbrilliantmindswecanhaveworkingtogetheronthesameproblem--andthatscalesuptherateofinnovationtoastaggeringdegree.Atthesametime,foreverypersonintheworldwhohasaccesstothistechnology,fivepeopledon't.Thatmeansmanycreativemindsareleftoutofthisdiscussion--smartpeoplewithpracticalintelligenceandrelevantex