My cofounder, Andrew Crick, and I had never done this before. I started my first company in a Chili's when I was 21.
I know this doesn't make any sense right now, but bear with me. There would be a tennis ball, a circle, and the number 30,000. If you were to look at my cheat sheet, there wouldn't be a lot on it. So what I want to do is give you a little cheat sheet, the one I would have loved to have had on my graduation day.
But nobody tells you that after today, the recipe for success changes. What got you here was basically being smart and working hard. I've thought about what I would do if I had to start all over again. I've thought a lot about what's different about the life you're beginning today. In fact, I've never really had a grand plan - and what I realize now is that it's probably impossible to have one after graduation, if ever. I had no idea.īeing up here in robes and speaking to all of you today wasn't exactly part of my plan seven years ago. Or who knows? Maybe things will go horribly wrong. Maybe you'll start a company, or cure cancer, or write the great American novel. The hard thing about planning your life is you have no idea where you're going, but you want to get there as soon as possible. Get into this prestigious institution so you can get into the next prestigious institution. There are a lot of reasons why this is a special day, but the reason I'm so excited for all of you is that today is the first day of your life where you no longer need to check boxes.įor your first couple decades, success in life has meant jumping through one hoop after another: get these test scores, get into this college. I still wear my Brass Rat, and turning this ring around on graduation day is still one of the proudest moments of my life. I'm so happy to be back at MIT, and it's an honor to be here with you today.
Thank you Chairman Reed, and congratulations to all of you in the class of 2013.
Below is the prepared text of the Commencement address by Drew Houston '05, the CEO of Dropbox, for MIT's 147th Commencement held June 7, 2013.
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