Thread by @thesheetztweetz

SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell is now giving the commencement address to the @NorthwesternU Class of 2021: northwestern.edu/commencement/f…

@NorthwesternU Shotwell: "I think highly dynamic social, political and economic situations are the new normal, and you are now better prepared to succeed in them. You have lived it, and not just survived but succeeded."

@NorthwesternU Shotwell: "As a teenage girl in the late 70s ... I was terrified of being tagged as a nerd. Now I'm super proud to be one."

@NorthwesternU Shotwell: "I hope that I have helped create a path that allows humans to live on Earth, the Moon or Mars, whichever their choice. I hope for a future where people can live even further out, amongst other star systems and galaxies."

@NorthwesternU Shotwell: "SpaceX took massive reputational risks, mastering the technology and operations associated with landing a rocket. In fact, we were continually criticized by our competitors in the media for these failures. I looked on these failures as a source of pride."

@NorthwesternU Shotwell says her rise through the company "was in large part because I kept growing my scope."

"Be kind, but at minimum, you must be respectful. Note that almost everyone that you interact with every day is battling some demon or trying to get through some issue."

@NorthwesternU Shotwell: "At SpaceX we have a no asshole policy."

"These kinds of people – assholes – interrupt others, they shut down or co-opt conversation, and they create a hostile environment where no one wants to contribute."

@NorthwesternU Shotwell: "In short, the best way to find solutions to hard problems is to listen harder, not talk louder. Embrace the ideas of your fellow workers, especially when they differ greatly from yours."

@NorthwesternU Shotwell: "I'm worried about our nation's children. We are not giving all of our children an education that will shape them into resourceful and productive people that our country needs to remain relevant. Every child is a resource to better our future."

@NorthwesternU Shotwell says she is "concerned about the science and math test scores we have."

"China scores 1st. Ireland [where my ancestors are from] scores 12th and the United States scores 25th."

"Worse" is that the gap between our lowest and highest scoring students "is widening."

@NorthwesternU Shotwell: "I love this country and I'm worried about the widening, economic, social and racial divide which was amplified during the pandemic. Not addressing education for our youth is not helping that. We are not treating our neighbors with the respect that they deserve."

@NorthwesternU Shotwell: "I haven't helped our country work on these issues yet – I whine a lot about it – and it's time, probably in the very near term, for me to commit and help fix them. Maybe we can work on these things together."

@NorthwesternU Shotwell: "More can be accomplished when crazy ideas are respected, listened to and evaluated ... A small group of people, like those of us here at SpaceX, can change an industry, and by extension can help change the world."