The Golden Age of Creation: Fidji Simo’s Commencement Speech to the HEC Paris Class of 2025
"We are all born creators." With these words, Fidji Simo, CEO of Instacart, incoming CEO of OpenAI Applications, and proud alumna of HEC Paris, addressed the Class of 2025 of the Grande École, Master’s and PhD programs in a powerful graduation speech that encouraged each student to shape their future with boldness, resilience, purpose, generosity and creativity.
Simo had hoped to be on campus to deliver her message in person on June 13 and made the trip to Paris from California. Sadly, a severe relapse of her chronic illness prevented her from joining us on stage. Determined to be with us in some way, she recorded a message for our graduates that resonated with her own life story, marked by courage, innovation, and relentless determination.
A Journey from Sète to Silicon Valley
Fidji Simo’s journey began in the port town of Sète in southern France, where she became the first in her family to graduate from high school. Her dream of joining HEC Paris was sparked at the age of nine, after watching a documentary about the school. She didn’t fit the typical mold — her father was a fisherman — but her unwavering belief in her potential carried her forward.
"My parents, who are here today, may not have had the connections or business experience to open doors for me, but they instilled the powerful belief that with hard work and willpower, I could accomplish anything."
Getting to HEC, however, wasn’t just an academic challenge, it was also a financial one. Simo openly shared how she had to overcome significant financial barriers, and how receiving a scholarship from the HEC Foundation was instrumental in making her studies possible.
“Without this support, I don’t think I would have been able to come here,” she said in a video testimony. "It really changed my life."
Reflecting on her journey, she shared with graduates a powerful mindset that carried her through adversity: “Obstacles are just the world’s way of asking: how much do you want this?”
That conviction took her from the HEC Paris campus to the heart of Silicon Valley, where she rose through the ranks at Facebook, led the global transition to mobile advertising, and is now CEO of Instacart, a company she steered toward profitability and brought public in one of the most challenging IPO environments in recent history.
1. Focus on Your Vision, Not the Obstacles
“The greatest currency isn’t time or money — it’s attention.” According to Simo, what we choose to focus on shapes our lives. Growing up without privilege, she encountered doubts and dismissiveness — even at HEC. But she chose not to internalize those limits. Instead, she focused on where she wanted to go and poured her energy into getting there.
A defining story: when Facebook initially rejected her application due to her lack of “builder” experience, she applied for a marketing role instead — inventing a product and creating marketing materials for it over a weekend.
Her initiative got her hired. And she reminded the audience:
“Don’t forget that the greatest limits you’ll ever face are the ones you quietly agree to.”
2. Be Determined on the Destination, Flexible on the Journey
Simo stressed that creative careers - and lives - rarely follow a straight line. At Facebook, she was tasked with monetizing mobile at a time when pundits predicted the company would never make money on smartphones. Later, she took on the challenge of transforming Instacart from a pandemic-dependent, unprofitable startup into a sustainable tech leader.
“Creativity doesn’t follow a fixed roadmap,” she said. “Let yourself be surprised by where the journey takes you.” Her advice: build the bridge as you walk it, even if the path is uncertain or uncomfortable.
3. Bet on What Sets You Apart
Success isn’t one-size-fits-all. “The most disruptive ideas often begin as whispers only you can hear,” Simo noted. She encouraged graduates to trust their instincts and lean into what makes them different, not shrink from it.
This principle found one of its most powerful expressions in Simo’s response to her own chronic illness. Diagnosed with a neuroimmune condition that made basic physical movement painful, she didn’t settle for being a passive patient. Instead, she founded Metrodora, a multidisciplinary medical clinic and research institute dedicated to improving care for people with complex neuroimmune diseases. Combining her skills as a tech leader, she created a new model for collaborative, data-driven medical progress.
“I’m not a doctor nor a scientist, but I know how to connect people and build organizations that solve hard problems.”
In this, as in everything, she proved her mantra: “The world needs your unique perspective, not a sea of sameness.”
4. Surround Yourself with People Who See Your Magic
Throughout her journey, Simo emphasized the importance of support. From her high school sweetheart and husband Remy to mentors like Mark Zuckerberg, she credited her boldest moves to people who believed in her potential, often before she did.
“Yet people like Mark Zuckerberg saw potential in me, often before I could even see it myself. That’s a large part of why I’ve been able to have the career I've had. It also taught me the power of giving people chances to stretch beyond what they thought was possible.”
From Ambition to Altruism: A Vision of Leadership We Need
What makes Fidji Simo’s message truly original - and deeply relevant - is her redefinition of success. Far from the individualistic, hyper-competitive image often associated with Silicon Valley, her vision of leadership is grounded in seeing and elevating the potential of others.
She encouraged graduates to seek out people who “shine a light” on their strengths and, just as importantly, to be that light for others. “Ask yourself every day: how can I help someone step into their full potential?” she said. “When you fuel others, you create a life of true abundance.”
Fidji Simo’s 2025 commencement speech was more than a celebration of realizing one’s unique potential, it was an invitation to contribute to the fulfillment of others.
“One of the greatest disappointments in life is leaving your creative potential unfulfilled. On the other hand, one of the greatest joys is helping someone else unleash theirs.”
This vision of leadership - as the ability to help others grow beyond what they imagined possible - resonates as both a challenge and an invitation to the next generation of changemakers.
Four years after the Class of 2025 began their HEC journey with a three-day seminar on purposeful leadership in Chamonix, they punctuated their academic chapter just as they started it: by reflecting on meaning, impact, and responsibility. But this time, with the tools and readiness to act.
Though unable to be physically present, Fidji Simo’s voice resonated from across the Atlantic, reminding every HEC Paris graduate that they are not only stepping into a fast-changing world, they have the power and duty to shape it.
“This is your Golden Age of Creation,” she concluded. “The world needs your magic — go out there and create your masterpiece.”