Stanford University Commencement Speeches

Sundar Pichai addresses Stanford's Class of 2026, reflecting on his own journey from Chennai, India to Stanford and Google. He argues that most life moments are less make-or-break than they seem and offers three filte...

Olympic swimmer and Stanford alumna Katie Ledecky tells the Class of 2025 how to "go the distance" in life through three elements: pacing, process, and time. She shares stories from her swimming career—winning her fir...

Melinda French Gates reflects on navigating life's major transitions, using a parable of waves to illustrate maintaining one's core identity through change. She shares personal experiences including her career at Micr...

John McEnroe addresses Stanford's Class of 2023, using tennis analogies and personal stories from his career and time as a Stanford student to reflect on success, failure, and well-being. He encourages graduates to pu...

Reed Hastings tells Stanford's Class of 2022 that human progress is driven by two forces: inventions and stories. He urges graduates to apply inventive energy to climate change and to craft new, more constructive stor...