Apple CEO Tim Cook shares Steve Jobs' 'powerful advice' to Stanford students, says ‘It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since Steve told Stanford graduates to…’

Apple CEO Tim Cook

recently marked the 20th anniversary of Steve Jobs’ iconic

2005 Stanford commencement

address by sharing a tribute to the late Apple co-founder on social media. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Cook wrote “It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since Steve told Stanford graduates to stay hungry and stay foolish.” He continued, “His powerful advice still rings true, and I hope it helps guide this year’s new grads as they begin their journey to become tomorrow’s leaders.”

Steve Jobs Stanford speech is one of the most watched speeches

In the post, Cook also shared a link to a newly updated version of Jobs’ famous speech, hosted on the

Steve Jobs Archive

website. The video has been enhanced from standard to high definition. The 2005 video, has been watched over 120 million times, and is one of the most influential commencement addresses in history. It has also been reproduced in media and school curricula around the world. (You can watch it here)

As mentioned on the website, Job’s speech even helped inspire the Cleveland Cavaliers' 2016 NBA comeback, when LeBron James played a clip of it before Game 3 of the Finals. While the webpage includes rare photos, early drafts, and behind-the-scenes details about how the speech came together.

Most remembered line from Steve Jobs’s Stanford speech

The speech delivered by Jobs – a college dropout to one of the world’s top universities, has resonated deeply with audiences over the years. It included three personal stories from Jobs’ life, and its most remembered lines were deeply reflective: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life” and “Stay hungry, stay foolish.”According to the Steve Jobs Archive, Jobs spent months preparing for the speech. He worked on drafts, asked friends for advice, and collaborated closely with his wife, Laurene.On stage, Jobs wore jeans, a black shirt, and Birkenstocks under his graduation robe. Despite the heat and distractions in the stadium, he delivered his speech word-for-word. “This is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation,” he joked as he began.After the event, the class co-presidents sent him a thank-you note. Jobs replied: “Thank you all very much. It was really hard for me to prepare for this, but I loved it (especially when it was over…).”

A speech about more than tech

Though Jobs was known as a visionary in technology, his Stanford address focused on universal human experiences—love, loss, mortality, and staying true to oneself. He once said, “People sometimes forget that they are very unique… The whole computer industry wants to forget about the humanist side.” The speech was a reminder that he hadn’t.The Steve Jobs Archive now preserves that legacy with rare artifacts, including Jobs’ handwritten speech drafts, his Reed College acceptance letter, and even the Whole Earth Catalog that inspired his famous closing line.