Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook co founder and CEO, returned to his alma mater, Harvard University, 13 years after dropping out to receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Zuckerberg, 33, was honored during the university’s 2017 commencement ceremony, where he also delivered a speech urging graduates to “build great things” and address social issues like wealth inequality.
“Mom, I always told you I’d come back and get my degree,”* Zuckerberg tweeted, sharing a photo of himself posing with his honorary diploma and parents.
In his speech, Zuckerberg emphasized the importance of creating a world where everyone has a sense of purpose. *”I’m here to tell you that finding your purpose isn’t enough,”* he said. “Our challenge is to create a world where everyone has a sense of purpose.”
Zuckerberg highlighted issues like wealth inequality, saying, “There is something wrong with our system when I can leave here and make billions of dollars in 10 years while millions of students can’t even afford to pay off their loans, let alone start a business.”
He urged the graduates to explore ideas like universal basic income and to define a new social contract that measures progress beyond economic metrics. “Now it’s time for our generation to define a new social contract,” he said. “We should have a society that measures progress not just by economic metrics like GDP but by how many of us have a role we find meaningful.”
Zuckerberg’s visit to Harvard was a nostalgic one, including a stop at his old dorm room. His speech was met with applause from the crowd, and he received a standing ovation.