When: Thursday, January 31, 4:30 p.m.

Where: 7500 Wean Hall

Kai-Fu Lee, President, Google Greater China
Vice President Engineering, Google, Inc.

Special Distinguished Presentation

Abstract:
We face many choices in our lives. The choices we make determine what lives we lead, and what we become. This talk reflects on the many choices I have made, and what I have learned from these choices. I will talk about my choices in my profession, in selecting my major and thesis, in leaving academia, in carrying out difficult corporate decisions, in dealing with tough people, in challenging my bosses, in deciding to move to China, in accepting unfair situations, in responding to disappointments, and in deciding to leave Microsoft for Google.

In my reflections, I find that following eight tenets that have guided my decisions:

1. The moderation to avoid extremities
2. The flexibility to decide situationally
3. The pragmatism to pick what battles to fight
4. The objectivity to analyse the trade-offs
5. The self-awareness to set right expectations
6. The perspective to learn from mistakes
7. The courage to let go
8. The wisdom to follow your heart

This talk will tell my stories, and relate them to these tenets. I hope these will help students make wise choices for themselves.

Poster

4:00 pm: Refreshments

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