蘋果CEO庫克華盛頓大學畢業演講

2016年5月18日，蘋果CEO蒂姆·庫克(Tim Cook)在美國喬治華盛頓大學畢業典禮上發表了演講，《總會有人改變世界的——這個人可能就是你》(someone has to change the world — it might as well be you)。他在演講中稱，人生價值觀和樂觀在工作中具有的重要作用,並且他通過自身經歷鼓勵畢業生們為自己的信仰而鬥爭，讓其明白平等是一種權利。

Hello GW.

Thank you very much President Knapp for that kind intro. Alex, trustees, faculty and deans of the university, my fellow honorees, and especially you the class of 2015. Yes.

Congratulations to you, to your family, to your friends that are attending today's ceremony. You made it. It's a privilege, a rare privilege of a lifetime to be with you today. And I think thank you enough for making me an honorary Colonial.

Before I begin today, they asked me to make a standard announcement. You've heard this before. About silencing your phones. Those of you with an iPhone, just place it in silent mode. If you don't have an iPhone, please pass it to the center aisle. Apple has a world class recycling program.

You know, this is really an amazing place. And for a lot of you, I'm sure that being here in Washington, the very center of our democracy, was a big draw when you were choosing which school to go to. This place has a powerful pull. It was here that Dr. Martin Luther King challenged Americans to make real the promises of democracy, to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

And it was here that President Ronald Reagan called on us to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds. I'd like to start this morning by telling you about my first visit here. In the summer of 1977 yes, I'm a little old I was 16 years old and living in Robertsdale, the small town in southern Alabama that I grew up in. At the end of my junior year of high school I'd won an essay contest sponsored by the National Rural Electric Association. I can't remember what the essay was about, what I do remember very clearly is writing it by hand, draft after draft after draft. Typewriters were very expensive and my family could not afford one.

I was one of two kids from Baldwin County that was chosen to go to Washington along with hundreds of other kids across the country. Before we left, the Alabama delegation took a trip to our state capitol in Montgomery for a meeting with the governor. The governor's name was George C. Wallace. The same George Wallace who in 1963 stood in the schoolhouse door at the University of Alabama to block African Americans from enrolling. Wallace embraced the evils of segregation. He pitted whites against blacks, the South against the North, the working class against the socalled elites. Meeting my governor was not an honor for me.

My heroes in life were Dr. Martin Luther King, and Robert F. Kennedy, who had fought against the very things that Wallace stood for. Keep in mind, that I grew up, or, when I grew up, I grew up in a place where King and Kennedy were not exactly held in high esteem. When I was a kid, the South was still coming to grips with its history. My textbooks even said the Civil War was about states' rights. They barely mentioned slavery.

So I had to figure out for myself what was right and true. It was a search. It was a process. It drew on the moral sense that I'd learned from my parents, and in church, and in my own heart, and led me on my own journey of discovery. I found books in the public library that they probably didn't know they had. They all pointed to the fact that Wallace was wrong. That injustices like segregation had no place in our world. That equality is a right.

As I said, I was only 16 when I met Governor Wallace, so I shook his hand as we were expected to do. But shaking his hand felt like a betrayal of my own beliefs. It felt wrong. Like I was selling a piece of my soul.

From Montgomery we flew to Washington. It was the first time I had ever been on an airplane. In fact it was the first time that I traveled out of the South. On June 15, 1977, I was one of 900 high schoolers greeted by the new president, President Jimmy Carter, on the south lawn of the White House, right there on the other side of the ellipse. I was one of the lucky ones, who got to shake his hand. Carter saw Baldwin County on my name tag that day and stopped to speak with me. He wanted to know how people were doing after the rash of storms that struck Alabama that year. Carter was kind and compassionate; he held the most powerful job in the world but he had not sacrificed any of his humanity. I felt proud that he was president. And I felt proud that he was from the South. In the space of a week, I had come face to face with two men who guaranteed themselves a place in history. They came from the same region. They were from the same political party. They were both governors of adjoining states. But they looked at the world in very different ways. It was clear to me, that one was right, and one was wrong. Wallace had built his political career by exploiting divisions between us. Carter's message on the other hand, was that we are all bound together, every one of us. Each had made a journey that led them to the values that they lived by, but it wasn't just about their experiences or their circumstances; it had to come from within.

My own journey in life was just beginning. I hadn't even applied for college yet at that point. For you graduates, the process of discovering yourself, of inventing yourself, of reinventing yourself is about to begin in earnest. It's about finding your values and committing to live by them. You have to find your North Star. And that means choices. Some are easy. Some are hard. And some will make you question everything. Twenty years after my visit to Washington, I met someone who made me question everything. Who upended all of my assumptions in the very best way. That was Steve Jobs.

Steve had built a successful company. He had been sent away and he returned to find it in ruins. He didn't know it at the time, but he was about to dedicate the rest of his life to rescuing it, and leading it to heights greater than anyone could ever imagine. Anyone, that is, except for Steve. Most people have forgotten, but in 1997 and early 1998, Apple had been adrift for years. Rudderless. But Steve thought Apple could be great again. And he wanted to know if I'd like to help.

His vision for Apple was a company that turned powerful technology into tools that were easy to use, tools that would help people realize their dreams. And change the world for the better. I had studied to be an engineer and earned an M.B.A. I was trained to be pragmatic, a problem solver. Now I found myself sitting before and listening to this very animated 40something guy with visions of changing the world. It was not what I had expected. You see, when it came to my career, in 1998, I was also adrift. Rudderless.

I knew who I was in my personal life, and I kept my eye on my North Star, my responsibility to do good for someone else, other than myself. But at work, well I always figured that work was work. Values had their place and, yes, there were things that I wanted to change about the world, but I thought I had to do that on my own time. Not in the office. Steve didn't see it that way. He was an idealist. And in that way he reminded me of how I felt as a teenager. In that first meeting he convinced me if we worked hard and made great products, we too could help change the world. And to my surprise, I was hooked. I took the job and changed my life. It's been 17 years and I have never once looked back.

At Apple we believe the work should be more than just about improving your own self. It's about improving the lives of others as well. Our products do amazing things. And just as Steve envisioned, they empower people all over the world. People who are blind, and need information read to them because they can't see the screen. People for whom technology is a lifeline because they are isolated by distance or disability. People who witness injustice and want to expose it, and now they can because they have a camera in their pocket all the time.

Our commitment goes beyond the products themselves to how they're made. To our impact on the environment. To the role we play in demanding and promoting equality. And in improving education. We believe that a company that has values and acts on them can really change the world. And an individual can too. That can be you. That must be you. Graduates, your values matter. They are your North Star. And work takes on new meaning when you feel you are pointed in the right direction. Otherwise, it's just a job, and life is too short for that. We need the best and brightest of your generation to lead in government and in business. In the science and in the arts. In journalism and in academia. There is honor in all of these pursuits. And there is opportunity to do work that is infused with moral purpose. You don't have to choose between doing good and doing well. It's a false choice, today more than ever.

Your challenge is to find work that pays the rent, puts food on the table, and lets you do what is right and good and just.

So find your North Star. Let it guide you in life, and work, and in your life's work. Now, I suspect some of you aren't buying this. I won't take it personally. It's no surprise that people are skeptical, especially here in Washington. Where these days you've got plenty of reason to be. And a healthy amount of skepticism is fine. Though too often in this town, it turns to cynicism. To the idea that no matter who's talking or what they're saying, that their motives are questionable, their character is suspect, and if you search hard enough, you can prove that they are lying. Maybe that's just the world we live in. But graduates, this is your world to change.

As I said, I am a proud son of the South. It's my home, and I will always love it. But for the last 17 years I've built a life in Silicon Valley; it's a special place. The kind of place where there's no problem that can't be solved. No matter how difficult or complex, that's part of its essential quality. A very sincere sort of optimism. Back in the 90s, Apple ran an advertising campaign we called "Think Different." It was pretty simple. Every ad was a photograph of one of our heroes. People who had the audacity to challenge and change the way we all live. People like Gandhi and Jackie Robinson, Martha Graham and Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart and Miles Davis. These people still inspire us. They remind us to live by our deepest values and reach for our highest aspirations. They make us believe that anything is possible. A friend of mine at Apple likes to say the best way to solve a problem is to walk into a room full of Apple engineers and proclaim, "this is impossible."

I can tell you, they will not accept that. And neither should you. So that's the one thing I'd like to bring to you all the way from Cupertino, California. The idea that great progress is possible, whatever line of work you choose. There will always be cynics and critics on the sidelines tearing people down, and just as harmful are those people with good intentions who make no contribution at all. In his letter from the Birmingham jail, Dr. King wrote that our society needed to repent, not merely for the hateful words of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.

The sidelines are not where you want to live your life. The world needs you in the arena. There are problems that need to be solved. Injustices that need to be ended. People that are still being persecuted, diseases still in need of cure. No matter what you do next, the world needs your energy. Your passion. Your impatience with progress. Don't shrink from risk. And tune out those critics and cynics. History rarely yields to one person, but think, and never forget, what happens when it does. That can be you. That should be you. That must be you.

Congratulations Class of 2015. I'd like to take one photo of you, because this is the best view in the world. And it's a great one.

Thank you very much.

以價值觀引導生活和工作

“人生最重要的就是尋找你的價值觀並將其實現，要尋找你的北極星，做出你的選擇。有些時候很容易，有些時候卻很困難，有時則會讓你對一切都充滿質疑。”庫克説。

庫克坦言：“我遇到的第一個讓我開始質疑一切的人就是史蒂夫·喬布斯。”1998年，喬布斯創立蘋果公司之後被掃地出門，當他再次回到公司後發現公司的價值觀全被毀了。

“當時的他也許並不知道，他將要用自己的餘生來拯救這家公司,，並將它帶領到任何人都無法想象的高度。喬布斯對於蘋果公司的期望，就是希望它能夠將強大的科技轉化為易於人們使用的工具，可以幫助人們實現夢想並讓世界變得更加美好，”庫克稱，“史蒂夫是一個理想主義者。他讓我相信, 只要我們努力工作, 製造好的產品, 那麼我們也可以改變世界。我徹底接受了這份工作, 它徹底改變了我的人生。現在已經是我在蘋果工作的'第17個年頭, 但我從來沒有感到過一絲後悔。”

庫克繼續闡述蘋果如何保持樂觀，以及在這種樂觀心態下創造出的產品如何改變世界。他説：“在蘋果，我們相信工作不僅僅是改善我們自己的生活，同時也要改善其他人的生活。”

庫克舉例説明，蘋果公司的技術可以幫助盲人實現閲讀，可以幫助偏遠地區的人聯網。而且隨着視頻曝光警察的暴力行為，智能手機在社會正義方面發揮更為重要的作用。庫克説：“親眼見到不公的人想要曝光它，現在他們已經可以做到，因為他們的口袋中隨時帶着相機。”

庫克繼續説：“我們相信，一家公司的價值觀及其指導下的行為可以真正改變世界。一個人也可以，這個人可能是你，而且肯定是你。畢業生們，你們的價值觀很重要。它們是你們的北極星，沒有它，工作於你只是一份工作。你們不必在做得好和做得很好之間做出選擇，這是一個錯誤的選擇。你們面臨的挑戰是找到工作支付租金、購買美食，讓自己去做正確的事情。找到你們的北極星，讓他指引你去工作和生活。毫無疑問，人應該有懷疑精神，特別是在華盛頓……健康的懷疑態度非常好，但是太多懷疑容易讓人陷入犬儒主義。或許那只是我們現在生活的世界，但是對於你們來説，這恰好是你們要改變的世界。”

我們有責任捍衞世界的公平

“你不能只是做一個旁觀者”，庫克引用《來自伯明翰監獄的信》的話呼籲人們擺脱“旁觀”，“旁觀不是你想要的生活，世界需要你登上舞台，有很多問題需要解決，正義需要得到伸張，人們依然受到迫害，疾病依然需要治癒。無論你接下來要做什麼，世界需要你付出能量、激情和成功的渴望。不要怕冒險，遠離那些憤世嫉俗者和批評者，歷史很少由一個人來書寫，但永遠不要忘記，歷史的確曾由一個人來書寫。”

庫克的發言是美國企業間更普遍的的社會行動主義趨勢的一部分。三月，庫克與其他硅谷領袖一道批評印第安納州制定的一項法律，聲稱該法律是為了監管同性戀羣體。而在幾周後，美國最高法院將裁定一項具有歷史意義的法案，該法案有可能使同性婚姻在美國變得合法化。

“當有機會去做有道德意義的事時，”54歲的庫克説，“你不用在成功和做善事之間做出選擇，那是錯誤的，如今更是。”

印第安納的法律將使企業有權以宗教為由拒絕為同性戀羣體提供服務，該法案後來被修改。在2014年10月，庫克批評他的家鄉阿拉巴馬州不保護持不同性向的人。幾天後，庫克在彭博商業週刊撰文，公開了自己的同性戀身份，並稱這是“上帝贈與其最好的禮物之一”。

庫克在週日的演講上還表示，16歲時他通過一次作文比賽贏得了首次去華盛頓的機會，當時他的作文是手寫的，因為他的父母買不起打字機。

在他第一次坐飛機前往華盛頓時，少年庫克與一個當地的代表團參觀了美國內戰時期曾試圖阻止黑人學生參加阿拉巴馬大學的州長喬治·華萊士(George Wallace)。“華萊士支持邪惡的種族隔離制度，他讓白人和黑人競爭，南方和北方對立，工人階級和所謂的精英對立”，庫克説，“對我來説，會見州長並不是榮耀。我生命中的英雄是馬丁·路德·金和曾強烈反對華萊士種族隔離政策的羅伯特·肯尼迪”。

庫克回憶起其孩童時的課本，課本稱美國內戰是一場各州爭取權利的戰爭，而很少提及廢除奴隸制。“我必須要弄明白到底什麼才是正確的真實的”。庫克對畢業生們説，他通過在公眾圖書館查找資料弄清真相。“這是一種探索，一種過程，我利用我從父母、教堂和我心中得到的道德觀念指引我的發現歷程”。

這些探索“全都表明華萊士是錯誤的，”庫克説，“像種族隔離這樣的不公正制度在世界上沒有立足之處，平等是一種權利”。