Don’t Follow Your Passion | Ben Horowitz’s Advice for New Graduates
7/6/202619 min
In this commencement address to Columbia University's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science Class of 2015, Ben Horowitz challenges some of the most common advice given to graduates.
Rather than urging students to “follow their passion,” Horowitz argues that people should focus on developing their strengths and making meaningful contributions to the world. Drawing on stories from his own time at Columbia, the founding of technology companies, and investments in startups like Airbnb, he explores the importance of independent thinking, conviction, and pursuing ideas that others may initially dismiss.
Along the way, Horowitz discusses technological progress, entrepreneurship, opportunity, and why he believes today's graduates are entering a world defined less by unprecedented challenges than by unprecedented possibilities.
ee
Resources:
Follow Ben Horowitz on X: https://x.com/bhorowitz
Stay Updated:
Find a16z on YouTube: YouTube
Find a16z on X
Find a16z on LinkedIn
Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify
Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts
Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg
Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsBen Horowitz· Guest0:00
Thinking for yourself sounds both simple and trivial, but in reality, it's extremely difficult and it's profound. And here's why. As human beings, we wanna be liked. It's anthropological. If people didn't like you in caveman days, they would just eat you. So you really have a natural built-in instinct to wanna be liked, and the easiest way to be liked is to tell people what they wanna hear. And you know what everybody wants to hear? What they already believe to be true. And so the last thing they wanna hear is an original idea that contradicts their belief system. So it's very hard to even bring that kind of stuff up. But those are the things, those are the only things, things that you believe that everybody around you doesn't believe, when you're right, that create real value in the world.
Erik Torenberg· Host0:50
"Follow your passion" may be the most common piece of career advice graduates receive. Ben Horowitz disagrees. In this commencement address to Columbia University's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, Ben argues that passion is often a byproduct of mastery, contribution, and achievement, not necessarily the starting point. Drawing on his own experiences as a student, entrepreneur, investor, and technologist, he shares lessons on independent thinking, conviction, innovation, and why some of the most valuable opportunities come from pursuing ideas that other people don't yet believe.