Jump to content

Nothing to do with cars, I'm afraid


jb44
 Share

Recommended Posts

Dear Sniffers

I do not know whether this is for real, or a send-up, but it is still the kind of thing that makes me wish I was very, very rich.

Enjoy!

Johan Buchner

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

last month:

"Graduates of Yale University, I apologize if you have endured this type

of prologue before, but I 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 thirty years from now,

odds are the person on your left is going to be a loser. The person on

your right, meanwhile, will also be a loser. And you, in the middle?

What can you expect? Loser. Loserhood. Loser Cum Laude.

"In fact, as I look out 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. I see a thousand losers.

"You're upset. That's understandable. After all, how can I, Lawrence

'Larry' Ellison, college dropout, have the audacity to spout such heresy

to the graduating class of one of the nation's most prestigious

institutions? I'll tell you why. Because I, Lawrence "Larry" Ellison, second richest

man on the planet, am a college dropout, and you are not.

"Because Bill Gates, 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

O f college, and you did not.

"And for good measure, because Michael Dell, No. 9 on the list and

moving up fast, is a college dropout, and you, yet again, are not."

"Hmm... you're very upset. That's 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 imagine, have

spent four to five years here, and in many ways what you've learned

and endured will serve you well in the years ahead. You've established

good work habits. You've stablished a network of people that will help

you down the road. And you've established what will be lifelong

relationships with the word 'therapy.' All that of is good. For in

truth, you will need that network. You will need those strong work habits.

You will need that therapy.

"You will need them because you didn't drop out, and so you will never

be among the richest people in the world. 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

record, he dropped out of grad school. Bit of a late bloomer.

"Finally, I realize 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've absorbed too much, think you know

too much. You're not 19 anymore. You have a built-in cap, and I'm

not referring to the mortar boards on your heads."

"Hmm... you're really very upset. That's understandable. So perhaps

this would be a good time to bring up the silver lining. Not for you,

Class of '00. You are a write-off, so I'll let you slink off to your

pathetic $200,000-a-year jobs, where your checks will be signed by

former classmates who dropped out two years ago."

"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

that a cap and gown will keep you down just as surely as these security

guards dragging me off this stage are keeping me down..."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[ QUOTE ]

There is a widely circulated article that gives the text of a speech that Ellison supposedly gave to the Yale University graduating class of 2000, but that article is actually fiction, published by the SatireWire website[3][4]; Ellison did not speak at Yale, and the speech was made up by the author of the article. The speech refers to graduates as losers, because "I, Lawrence "Larry" Ellison, second richest man on the planet, am a college dropout, and you are not. Because Bill Gates, 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".

[/ QUOTE ]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...