How Randy Pausch’s ‘The Last Lecture’ inspired Kai-Fu Lee to quit Google

I was 47 when I made the decision to leave Google for founding Innovation Works in the summer of 2009. I didn’t take it for granted that I outlived Randy.

Photo Credit: SheilaShang/Wikimedia Commons

The following is an edited excerpt from Making a World of a Difference by Kai-Fu Lee. You can buy a copy here.

“Are you crazy?” some relatives and close friends of mine directly uttered what Alan [Eustace, senior vice president of knowledge at Google] might have felt like saying to me. “You must be kidding! What can be better than working for Google?” Those were typical responses I received after telling everyone about my resignation. Indeed, I had a position thousands of people would kill for, with the most desirable employer, in the most pleasant working environment, surrounded by the most creative engineers. What more could I want? In fact I didn’t want to gain anything more. I just wanted to do more, actually to give more.

Looking back upon my work history, I realized my experiences at Apple, SGI, Microsoft and Google had cultivated some special energy in me. The energy often propelled me to come up with all kinds of new product ideas. I frequently caught myself imagining the design of a dream product in the middle of my work day, and forced myself to return to my busy schedule at Google China. I longed for a lot of free time, which I could spend planting the seeds of my creative ideas and watching them grow. I also hoped to help other inventors incubate their creations. I could offer them guidance as an experienced mentor. Ideally, the platform provided by me would generate as much power as Harry Potter’s magic book to change and improve something in the world.

I decided to name the unprecedented new venture Innovation Works, for which I had to leave Google. I had to give up everything I held dear at Google China. While feeling attached, I told myself to let go, and convinced myself that only letting go of the present glory would enable me to go ahead, striving toward an even brighter future. It was a tough choice, probably the toughest one in my whole life.

Choices in life tend to put more and more at stake as one grows older and takes on family responsibilities. It definitely requires more courage of a middle-aged person than of someone young to take a risk. In most cases, people avoid taking chances after a certain age. The older they get, the more they have to lose. They are therefore more scared of losing. They would rather keep the status quo, whether being happy or not, just to play it safe. I, on the contrary, hold an exactly opposite point of view. I believe in taking more courage while aging, because there is less time left. As I told Alan, I was afraid it might be too late if I didn’t immediately start pursuing my next goal.

I felt increasingly pressured by the limited length of life after the passing of Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University professor who became world famous for his filmed speech, Last Lecture – Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, on YouTube. Randy had been my classmate at Carnegie Mellon University. We both completed the [doctorate] program in computer science in 1988 and attended the same graduation ceremony. Today, I still keep a photo of our class waiting in line to receive our diplomas. In the picture, there is only one person standing between me and Randy.

No one on that graduation day knew Randy only had 20 more years to live. None of us can predict how much longer we are going to be around. How can we not seize the day? “The key question to keep asking is: Are you spending your time on the right things? Because time is all you have,” said Randy in his Last Lecture. Before Randy left the world, he also advised us not to fear obstacles. He said, “Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something, because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people”

When I watched “Last Lecture” on YouTube, I was amazed to realize how much Randy and I were thinking alike. I should have become closer friends with him at Carnegie Mellon. It was a regret that my busy research kept me from getting to know my [doctorate] classmates well. Although I hadn’t been very close to Randy, his death from pancreatic cancer in July 2008 utterly saddened me. He was 47, only one year my senior. What a brilliant but brief life! I was 47 when I made the decision to leave Google for founding Innovation Works in the summer of 2009. I didn’t take it for granted that I outlived Randy. I was going to make every day of my life a step closer to my goals.

Leading our lives

I really liked the line “Lead your life” in Randy’s Last Lecture. It’s interesting that he said, “Lead your life” instead of “Live your life.”

What’s the difference between “lead” and “live”? In my view, to live a life is to simply go with the flow, but to lead a life is to actively shape one’s own destiny. How much control do we have over our destinies? Some may say fate is pre-determined. But based on my experience, I can attest that a lot of it is in our own hands. Only accidents, diseases and wars are beyond our control, despite certain measures we may take to prevent them. Most of the time, when we are safe and sound, we have a choice of directions.

There are many paths in life, and the one you choose right now will take you where you are going to be later. I am where I am because of the choices I have made. I have realized most of my dreams. Now, I feel it’s time for me to help others achieve theirs.