Richard Costolo
Field: tech
Costolo urges graduates to pursue what they love and have conviction about rather than following a predetermined script or meeting others' expectations. He argues that impact cannot be planned or recognized in the moment—it is framed by others after the fact—so the present should be lived by taking chances on oneself. He contends that doing what you love builds resilience, while merely filling an expected role leaves you frozen and blindsided when things go wrong.
Key moments
- 01 Opens with self-deprecating humor about football losses and life before the internet
- 02 Argues you cannot plan or recognize your own impact in the moment
- 03 Advises finding what you love and have conviction about instead of following a script
- 04 Warns that doing only what's expected leaves you dependent and blindsided
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Richard Costolo at Michigan, 2013
A University of Michigan address about improvisation, uncertainty, courageous choices, loving the work, and betting on yourself.
Speech arc
- 01Michigan
Opening move
- 02Class of 2013
Speech beat
- 03Opening joke
Speech beat
- 04No script
Speech beat
- 05Impact
Speech beat
- 06Improv
Speech beat
- 07Love the work
Speech beat
- 08Bet on yourself
Final charge
Humor: The speech lowers the stakes before raising them
Costolo opens with football disappointment and self-mockery, using comedy to make uncertainty feel survivable.
Deflation
The joke about expectations previews the larger lesson about plans breaking.
Presence
Comedy works because the speaker stays inside the moment.
Trust
Humor creates room for serious advice without becoming solemn.
Costolo opens with football disappointment and self-mockery, using comedy to make uncertainty feel survivable.
Improv: There is no script for the life after graduation
Drawing from improvisation, Costolo argues that graduates cannot wait for an authored path; they have to write as they go.
Blank page
The next line will not be handed over.
Adaptation
Plans matter, but responsiveness matters more.
Agency
Graduates become authors when they stop asking for cues.
Drawing from improvisation, Costolo argues that graduates cannot wait for an authored path; they have to write as they go.
Impact: You often recognize impact only afterward
The address warns that people cannot reliably plan their impact in advance, so they should choose work and actions by conviction.
Retrospect
Meaning becomes clearer after choices have accumulated.
Courage
Impact follows brave decisions more often than perfect forecasting.
Conviction
Values are a better compass than applause.
The address warns that people cannot reliably plan their impact in advance, so they should choose work and actions by conviction.
• Key takeaways •
No one hands you a script
Connects to improvisation.
Impact is recognized in retrospect
Connects to uncertainty.
Love builds resilience
Connects to courage.
Courage beats overplanning
Connects to work.
Bet on yourself
Connects to impact.
Closing charge
Costolo connects passion to resilience: doing loved work builds the confidence needed to make courageous bets on yourself.
Love the work enough to take risks
Practice
Love makes repeated effort sustainable.
Risk
The largest danger is often refusing to move.
Outcome
Courageous choices create the conditions for contribution.
Costolo connects passion to resilience: doing loved work builds the confidence needed to make courageous bets on yourself.
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Transcript
The previously catalogued transcript link is no longer live and is queued for re-sourcing. A video of the address is available above.
Machine transcript available for archive analysis; it is unverified and may contain transcription errors. Machine transcript source ->
Provenance
BROKEN transcript link (checked 2026-06-26): graduationwisdom.com repurposed into lifestyle blog; speech pages gone. Provenance: Imported from NPR commencement archive
NPR archive last updated in 2015; destination availability has not been exhaustively rechecked | Transcript URL dead (graduationwisdom.com repurposed into lifestyle blog; speech pages gone); video fallback present
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