Lecture 8: Our Passion for Entrepreneurship at MIT

What this lecture covers

In this short, reflective talk, Aulet steps back from the course mechanics to explain the motivation behind MIT's focus on entrepreneurship education. He connects it to MIT's mission of applying science and technology to the world's greatest challenges, and argues that entrepreneurship gives young people a path to create their own jobs when governments and large companies will not.

Watching this gives context for why the course exists and what Aulet believes entrepreneurship can offer beyond building companies.

Key ideas

• MIT's mission: to advance science and technology in service of the world's greatest challenges.
• Hope: entrepreneurship lets young people believe they can create their own jobs rather than wait for one.
• Pride: building something of your own, even something small, creates a sense of ownership and pride.
• Rigor: running a startup demands self-discipline, since nothing happens unless the founder makes it happen.
• Jobs of the future: Aulet argues future jobs will increasingly have to be created by individuals, not governments or large companies.

Before you watch

• No specific prior lecture is required; this talk works as a standalone statement of purpose for the course.

Check your understanding

1. What three qualities does Aulet say entrepreneurship brings to young people?
2. How does Aulet connect entrepreneurship to MIT's broader institutional mission?
3. Why does Aulet believe individuals, rather than governments or big companies, will need to create future jobs?