Tim Cook Has a Message for Recent Grads

Tim Cook this week encouraged the George Washington University class of 2015 to follow their North Star, do good, and buy Apple products.

"They asked me to make a standard announcement. You've heard this before, about silencing your phones," Cook said, eliciting laughter from the crowd. "Those of you with an iPhone, just place it in silent mode. If you don't have an iPhone, please pass it to the center aisle. Apple has a world-class recycling program."

Cook's speech, however, was largely serious in nature, touching on on his heroes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, as well as President Jimmy Carter, Ghandi, Albert Einstein, Amelia Earheart, and, of course, Steve Jobs.

"Twenty years after my [first] visit to Washington [D.C.], I met someone who make me question everything," the Apple chief said. "Who upended all of my assumptions, in the very best way. That was Steve Jobs."

Jobs was convinced that "if we worked hard and made great products, we, too, could help change the world," Cook said.

"We believe that a company that has values and acts on [its commitments] can really change the world," he continued. "And an individual can, too. That can be you."

During his 20-minute speech, Cook wove in personal stories of meeting Gov. George Wallace and President Carter—two men with similar backgrounds but antithetical views of the world.

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He also touched on his own civil rights efforts. The openly gay CEO has spoken out about inequality and discrimination, recently blasting anti-LGBT bills in his home state, and making a sizeable donation to a gay rights effort in the South.

"Don't shrink from risk, and tune out those critics and cynics," Cook said. "History rarely yields to one person. But think, and never forget, what happens when it does. That can be you. That should be you. That must be you."

Cook concluded by taking out his own silver iPhone to snap a photo of the graduating class of 2015.