Jeff Bezos: "Boldly fail where none have failed before"

(Video length:  24 minutes)

 The latest crop of newly minted graduates from the Tepper School of Business celebrated their achievements this past weekend at a host of ceremonies in Pittsburgh. Undergraduate, masters and doctoral students joining the ranks of Tepper alumni worldwide had the opportunity to hear invaluable career and life advice from Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com (graduate) and Manoj Singh of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (undergraduate), who offered the keynote addresses.

250 master of business administration (MBA) students, 20 master of science in computational finance (MSCF) students and 20 doctoral students received their diplomas at the graduate commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 17, at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Oakland. During his keynote address, Bezos shared his experience as one of the world’s leading technology entrepreneurs and executives, urging Tepper’s newest graduates to follow their passions, find missions to pursue that are bigger than themselves, root themselves in long-term thinking, and minimize regrets along their journey.

“Most regrets in life are not acts of commission, but rather of omission; what we don’t do is what can harm us most,” said Bezos. Paying tribute to his lifelong love of Star Trek, he urged graduates to “boldly fail where no one has failed before.”

In addition, undergraduate business and economics students also received their diplomas on Sunday, May 18, at the Soldiers and Sailors Museum & Memorial in a ceremony featuring a keynote address by Manoj Singh, Global Managing Partner at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and a 1976 MBA graduate of Carnegie Mellon. In his role at Deloitte, Singh oversees the development of regional and country business plans, clients and markets priorities, quality assurance and risk management in the region, which comprised of more than 17,000 professionals and administrative staff spanning 18 countries.

Tepper School Dean Kenneth Dunn also offered his perspectives on the bright futures ahead for the graduating students. “Business is a noble calling, and one that drives our society’s welfare,” he said. “We look forward to watching the impact you will have on the world as responsible, ethical and innovative leaders.” 

Editor's Note: Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch - known worldwide for his "Last Lecture" - spoke following former Vice President Al Gore at the Carnegie Mellon commencement ceremony. Pausch has been named one of Time Magazine's 100 of the world's most influential people in 2008.   For individuals following this professor's public battle with pancreatic cancer, Pausch's 2008 commencement remarks are available for viewing.