--- title: Tim Cook Duke Commencement Speech: Read the Transcript description: Tim Cook brought up the hot button issue of privacy and technology in his Duke commencement speech, alluding to Facebook's data crisis. canonical: https://time.com/5275610/apple-tim-cook-duke-commencement/ author: Alix Langone article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-05-13T18:06:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T09:09:40.831Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 'Be Fearless.' Read Apple CEO Tim Cook's Commencement Speech at Duke University og:description: He addressed tech privacy issues and more og:url: https://time.com/5275610/apple-tim-cook-duke-commencement/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd3dbbe2f4796c3f8/69893047ab6d77eb646b2a43/tim-cook-duke-commencement-facebook-privacy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Tim Cook shaking hands with someone at Duke Commencement speech 2018 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'Be Fearless.' Read Apple CEO Tim Cook's Commencement Speech at Duke University twitter:description: He addressed tech privacy issues and more twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd3dbbe2f4796c3f8/69893047ab6d77eb646b2a43/tim-cook-duke-commencement-facebook-privacy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Be Fearless.' Read Apple CEO Tim Cook's Commencement Speech at Duke University > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=b0ecc3ec-5bfa-49cd-88cc-dca497800e23&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 'Be Fearless.' Read Apple CEO Tim Cook's Commencement Speech at Duke University [Watch (HLS stream): 'Be Fearless.' Read Apple CEO Tim Cook's Commencement Speech at Duke University](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/7FdpdeRi.m3u8) (1:42)  _Published 2018-05-13. Apple CEO Tim Cook delivered the commencement speech at Duke University Sunday, taking the opportunity to acknowledge significant social and political issues like climate change, gun violence and the #MeToo movement._ by [Alix Langone](https://time.com/author/alix-langone/) ## Alix Langone May 13, 2018 6:06 PM UTC Apple CEO Tim Cook delivered the commencement speech at Duke University Sunday, taking the opportunity to acknowledge significant social and political issues like climate change, gun violence and the #MeToo movement. by [Alix Langone](https://time.com/author/alix-langone/) ## Alix Langone May 13, 2018 6:06 PM UTC Apple CEO Tim Cook delivered the commencement speech at Duke University Sunday, taking the opportunity to acknowledge significant social and political issues like climate change, gun violence and the #MeToo movement. He reminded graduates to be “fearless” while encouraging them to fight against injustice and inequality. In addition to the regular congratulatory remarks and life advice about “daring to think different” — a nod to his friend and mentor, Apple founder Steve Jobs — Cook also brought up the issue of [privacy and technology](http://time.com/money/5217379/how-to-protect-personal-information/), which has been on the forefront of many Americans minds since the [Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal broke earlier this year](http://time.com/5205314/facebook-cambridge-analytica-breach/). While Cook did not name Facebook outright, it’s clear he was making a reference to the company’s current data privacy crisis and the ways in which the social media juggernaut has mishandled users’ personal information. He reaffirmed his pledge to ensure that [Apple remains a company that will never violate its customers’ personal privacy](http://time.com/5224416/that-sounds-ridiculous-to-me-mark-zuckerberg-responds-after-tim-cook-takes-a-jab-at-facebook/). “We reject the excuse that getting the most out of technology means trading away your right to privacy. So we choose a different path: Collecting as little of your data as possible. Being thoughtful and respectful when it’s in our care. Because we know it belongs to you,” Cook said. “In every way, at every turn, the question we ask ourselves is not ‘what can we do’ but ‘what should we do’.” > [](https://twitter.com/tim%5Fcook/status/995702835462529025) He ended his speech with a quote from a Martin Luther King, Jr. speech at Duke in 1964, saying, “Martin Luther King stood right here at Duke, and said: “The time is always right to do right.” Cook received his MBA from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business in 1988. Read Cook’s full remarks here: --- > “” --- ## Transcript You entered a world at a time of great challenge. Our country is deeply divided, and too many Americans refuse to hear any opinion that differs from their own. Our planet is warming with devastating consequences, and there's some that even deny it's even happening. Our schools and communities suffer from deep inequality. We failed to guarantee every student the right to a good education, and yet we are not powerless in the face of these problems. You are not powerless to fix them. If you hope to change the world You must find your fearlessness. Fearless, like the students of Parkland, Florida, who refuse to be silent about the epidemic of gun violence, and have rallied millions to their cause. [ APPLAUSE ] Fearless, like the women who say " me too" and " times up" women who pass light into dark places, and move us to a more just and equal future. Fearless like those who fight for the rights of immigrants. Who understand that our only hopeful future is one that embraces all who want to contribute. [ APPLAUSE ] Duke graduates, be fearless! Be the last people to accept things as they are and the first people to stand up and change them for the better. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5275610/apple-tim-cook-duke-commencement/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5275610/apple-tim-cook-duke-commencement/"},"headline":"'Be Fearless.' 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