--- 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: 2026-02-23T20:15:41.462Z 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: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Alix Langone](https://time.com/author/alix-langone/) ## Alix Langone May 13, 2018 6:06 PM UTC  Brooks Kraft 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: --- > “” --- ```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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