In today’s episode, two Stanford leaders open up about the personal costs and course corrections in their professional lives. Is it possible to lead with integrity and still compete at the highest level? And what do you hold onto when you fail?
You’ll hear from John Hennessey, the former president of Stanford, and Pat Gelsinger, the former CEO of Intel. In their conversation moderated by Stanford student Elli Schulz, they share their stories of finding purpose in the middle of failures, explore the intersection of their Christian faith and work, and offer their thoughts about pursuing meaning in your career.
This forum was held by the Veritas at Stanford Club in April 2025. Thank you to the Veritas at Stanford Club for permission to co-release this recording.
When you're successful, you typically learn nothing. You do not grow in success. You grow in failure. You grow in challenge. That's where your character is refined.
My life has been at the intersection of faith and technology. I am out to be the world's best technologist, but I'm going to do it as a full-time minister in the workplace.
You're going to mess up sometimes. You're going make mistakes. And I've made them. What I try to remember is: don't make the same mistake more than once. Learn from that process. Forgive others and forgive yourself.
Technology is generally neutral. It can be used for good or used for bad. We have to shape it for good.
