Don’t Follow Your Passion | Ben Horowitz’s Advice for New Graduates

July 7, 2026

1:06

Don’t Follow Your Passion | Ben Horowitz’s Advice for New Graduates

Imagine sitting in a crowded room, and Ben Horowitz drops a bold truth — don't chase your passion blindly. Instead, he urges new grads to leverage their strengths and focus on making real contributions. Horowitz, writing in a16z's podcast, shares stories from his own startup journey, emphasizing that success often comes from pursuing ideas others dismiss. He believes today’s graduates face a world packed with unprecedented opportunity, not just challenges. According to Horowitz, what really matters isn’t following a vague passion, but developing conviction, thinking independently, and attacking big problems with confidence. This mindset, he argues, creates the kind of impact that can shape industries. So what does this actually mean for you? It’s about focusing on what you’re good at and using that as a launchpad — because that’s where breakthroughs happen. Content+a16zpodcast@a16z.com highlights that, ultimately, it’s the strength of your ideas and your grit that will define your future, not just what excites you today.

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.

Resources:

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Audio Transcript