Although the coronavirus pandemic has affected our lives drastically, Google CEO Sundar Pichai has attempted to bring some optimism especially among the young graduates who're set to say a final goodbye to their colleges. Pichai addressed students worldwide through a virtual graduation ceremony hosted by YouTube where he urged them to “be hopeful”. He recalled some of his experiences to highlight that staying positive leads to success at the end. The virtual ceremony was also attended by former US President Barack Obama and former US First Lady Michelle Obama, singer and actress Lady Gaga, singer Beyoncé, South Korean band BTS, and education activist Malala Yousafzai, among others.

Pichai started off his commencement speech by congratulating the students who've graduated in 2020 and are looking for future prospects. He briefly highlighted the fact that due to the coronavirus outbreak, students aren't able to experience the graduation ceremony in person. However, the 47-year-old executive who is also leading Alphabet, the parent company of Google, moved on and started providing optimistic thoughts through his journey.

“The reason I know you'll prevail is because so many others have done it before you,” Pichai said, as released in a blog post. “One hundred years ago, the class of 1920 graduated into the end of a deadly pandemic. Fifty years ago, the class of 1970 graduated in the midst of the Vietnam War. And nearly 20 years ago, the class of 2001 graduated just months before 9/11.”