Chris Pan wants to set the record straight about his Ohio State commencement speech
Chris Pan wants to clear the air.
He's seen the negative comments online about the speech he gave during Ohio State's spring commencement ceremony Sunday. He's read the headlines and Reddit threads, calling his address "cringe-worthy" and "the worst Ohio State commencement speech ever." He's heard plenty of conspiracy theories about him.
"Without a doubt, on one hand, it's been the hardest week of my life emotionally to see my name get dragged through the mud," Pan told The Dispatch Friday afternoon. "On the other hand, I've been getting messages from neighbors 15 years ago who read it, and were like, 'Dude, we're just sending you love.'"
Pan — a social entrepreneur, early Facebook employee and 1999 Ohio State graduate — said that misinformation has swarmed his address and his character this past week. But Pan said he wants to share his side of the story, behind the speech and backlash, to set the record straight.
Pan 'honored' to be chosen as commencement speaker
When Pan got an email from Ohio State President Ted Carter's office on March 8 with the subject line "Ohio State Special Invitation," he didn't even open it until the next day. It was a busy day, and he figured it might be for a class reunion or small event.
He reread the email and realized it was inviting him to be the featured speaker at spring commencement.
"I honestly didn't think it was a prank" Pan said. "I just didn't like realize because it was such a big deal. Like such a big honor."
Though the ask caught him off guard, he said he was honored to be selected. Pan had spoken at Ohio State multiple times before to small group workshops and honors college gatherings. Public speaking has been his "bread and butter" for the last decade, focusing mostly on emotional and spiritual wellness, trauma and meditation.
Pan started brainstorming ideas for the speech right away. He also used ayahuasca, a psychedelic liquid made from heating or boiling multiple psychoactive plants from South America, multiple times while drafting his speech.
Pan said he's used ayahuasca and psilocybin (also known as magic mushrooms) over the years "to connect me to truth." He added that he thinks there is "a huge misconception" that ayahuasca is harmful or addictive.
"You look at (people) like John Lennon, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, like these are all guys that regularly work with psychedelics, not for recreational but for healing and for creativity," Pan said.
Ohio State didn't give Pan feedback on his speech
Early on in his writing process, Pan said the only advice the university gave him was that a traditional speech would land better with a graduation audience than a non-traditional speech.
Pan said he tried to write a more traditional speech, but it didn't feel authentic to him.
"I just couldn't get myself to do it because that's just not who I am. I wouldn't be authentic," Pan said. "Like, "I'm so committed to impact, I'm so committed to helping people that I just I couldn't in good faith come and just do a traditional thing."
"I have to live by truth. I have to live with myself. And I couldn't live with myself if I didn't," he added.
Pan said he was willing to pass on being the commencement speaker if the university wasn't OK with his decision, but it wasn't a problem.
He did, however, seek feedback on his speech drafts from Ohio State students, parents and community members on social media.
"I did get a lot of feedback from parents and from students. I adjusted things," Pan said. "I took out the words 'Israel' and 'Palestine' and instead I said, 'Racism is not OK' and then I said 'Human collateral damage is not OK.' It's similar point, but it was broader, but (Ohio State) were not the ones that inspired that change."
Pan needed to submit his speech the Monday before commencement so the university could transcribe it for the livestream's closed captions. But after rehearsal on Friday, Pan said he thought he might be a little too non-traditional. He asked the university if he could adjust his speech once more but was told it was too late for major changes.
'Everything was great until I mentioned the word Bitcoin'
Come Sunday, Pan was clearheaded and excited to give his commencement address before 70,000 Ohio State graduates and their guests at Ohio Stadium.
But tragedy struck shortly after the ceremony began when a woman died by suicide at the stadium. Pan said he was told about the incident minutes before walking out with Carter and other administrators.
"My very specific instructions were to obviously keep that in mind, but just don't say anything," he said.
Pan said it was a difficult position and a devastating situation for everyone involved, "but at the same time, I had a job to do, the biggest job of my life. So I just had to deliver, like, I couldn't not deliver."
"You could feel the energy in the room and a section of students was very distraught," Pan continued. "It changes the energy in that in that stadium. So I think some of the backlash is maybe compounded by the fact that that tragedy happened as well."
Pan said he ad-libbed the beginning of his remarks to acknowledge the challenges and accomplishments Class of 2024. Many graduates at Sunday's commencement were high school seniors when COVID-19 shuttered their schools in March 2020 and canceled their high school graduations.
He then moved into a short sing-along to "What's Going On" by the 4 Non Blondes and before giving some scripted remarks. "My goal today is to share new perspectives that will lead you to financial, emotional and spiritual freedom," Pan said Sunday.
Pan discussed how money is one of Americans' biggest stressors right now and personal savings aren't able to keep up with inflation.
"I know this might feel polarizing, but I encourage you to keep an open mind," Pan said to the crowd. "Right now, I see Bitcoin as a very misunderstood asset class."
"Everything was great until I mentioned the word Bitcoin," Pan told The Dispatch on Friday. "I experienced being booed in front of 70,000 people, and that was definitely something that I'll never forget."
Pan said he is not "a Bitcoin bro driving a Lamborghini" and didn't begin getting interested in learning more about Bitcoin until February. He also said it is "pure coincidence" that he likes Bitcoin and Carter is on the board of TeraWulf, a zero-carbon Bitcoin mining company.
In an interview with The Dispatch Friday, Carter said he's been on the board of TeraWulf since November 2021, that he does not own any Bitcoin nor has he ever been paid in Bitcoin. His interest in the company has more to do with its ties to nuclear energy than cryptocurrency, Carter said.
"For those that are claiming that there's some sort of odd connection there, I'm just going to be very honest and upfront that it was completely random," Carter said. "One has nothing to do with the other and nor have I ever promoted nor will I ever."
Pan said he felt like the audience mistook his attempt to encourage young people to invest as an ad for Bitcoin.
"Bitcoin is interesting, but like I don't even care about Bitcoin," he said. "I'm just like, guys, investing is important. Being open-minded is important. Those are the real important things. And then obviously, connecting to your own spirit. Spirituality is really important."
Pan led the audience through a short meditation to find a word that describes their life's intention and shared some emotional remarks about peace.
"Pain causes hate and violence. Hurt people hurt people. Healed people help people," he said Sunday. "When we heal ourselves, we heal the world. World peace starts with inner peace."
He concluded with a final musical number, "This Little Light of Mine" written by Harry Dixon Loes. Pan said he stumbled into singing as a wellness practice after a difficult heartbreak. Daily singing has been a musical therapy for him, Pan said.
The backlash about singing at commencement, he said, fell flat for him.
"Didn't we just sing 'Carmen Ohio' at the end of this whole thing? Which book does it say like, 'Thou shalt not sing at a commencement speech'?" Pan said.
'Was it really that bad?'
Pan's speech was just one reason Ohio State's spring commencement was in the spotlight this week. Carter told The Dispatch in an interview Friday that he is taking feedback about the ceremony seriously.
"At the end of the day, it's my signature that goes on the invitation," Carter said. "So I own it."
"When it comes to commencement, speakers and anything that is that public facing, I commit to doing better," he added.
Despite the onslaught of negative comments about his speech, Pan said he's still received positive feedback as well.
One father of an Ohio State graduate messaged Pan on social media afterward to share that his whole family talked about the speech at dinner and shared the words they thought of during the meditation. He said it led to a wonderful multigenerational conversation about gratitude and empathy.
Another person messaged Pan to say, "This guy just summarized in 10 minutes what I've spent 20 years learning the hard way."
Pan said, at the very least, he hopes that those who listened to or read his speech can walk away with something positive, no matter how small.
"Was it really that bad? Was it really sad or offensive, or maybe, there was some goodness?" he said. "Yes, could I have done better? Absolutely. Could I have done something differently? Absolutely. But maybe like, there's actually some goodness. Maybe there's one if someone was able to get like one little nugget that helped them on their journey. It would make me like so happy. You know, that means mission accomplished."
Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. Sign up for Extra Credit, her education newsletter, here.
@sheridan120
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Even after backlash, Chris Pan was 'honored' to speak at Ohio State graduation
