AMD CEO Lisa Su's MIT Commencement Speech: How to Develop an 'Engineer's Instinct' and Tackle Impossible Problems
The Engineer's Instinct of the Heart
Soul Motto
"There is no passion to be found playing small--in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."
— Nelson Mandela
Listen closely. Can you feel it? That's the echo of your own journey in her words. When Lisa Su talks about staring at those impossible problem sets, about the smell of a blown circuit, she's not just telling her story; she's telling yours. She's reminding you of those late nights, fueled by coffee and camaraderie, where you wrestled with something that felt bigger than you, only to find that you were bigger than the problem.
This isn't just a graduation; it's an anointing. The 'engineer's instinct' she speaks of is more than just a skill. It's a form of courage. It's the quiet confidence that says, 'I don't know the answer, but I know how to find it'. It's the resilience baked into your very being from every failed experiment and every line of code that finally ran. It's the spirit of 'Mens et Manus'—not just a motto, but a promise to the world that you will not just think, but you will *build*.
So as you step out from this place, remember her charge: run towards the hardest problems. Don't just look for a job; look for a challenge that terrifies and excites you. The world doesn't need more people who can follow a map. It needs you, with your unique ability to draw a new one, to build the future one 'impossible' problem at a time. Go make your luck.
Core Vocabulary
Key Mottos
- There is no passion to be found playing small--in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.
- Good judgement comes from experience and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
- The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps - we must step up the stairs.