--- title: Mark Zuckerberg Thinks Rich People Should Give Everybody Free Money description: Mark Zuckerberg gave the Harvard University graduation commencement speech, and said we should explore universal basic income--paid by the rich. authors: - name: Brad Tuttle role: Senior Editor url: https://money.com/author/brad-tuttle/ bio: Brad Tuttle is a former senior editor at Money with over 10 years’ experience covering a vast number of personal finance topics, including careers, cars, travel, budgeting, investing, insurance, credit cards, consumer psychology, real estate, banking, and shopping and deals. education: Columbia University School of Journalism, MS at_money_since: 2014 articles: 366 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology social: - https://twitter.com/bradrtuttle - https://linkedin.com/in/brad-tuttle-834b225 former_staff: true published: '2017-05-26T14:07:52.000Z' modified: '2024-05-16T12:27:04.000Z' section: Economy and Politics tags: - commencement speech - facebook - income - Mark Zuckerberg - rich - Wealth word_count: 325 canonical: https://money.com/mark-zuckerberg-harvard-speech-universal-basic-income/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg Delivers Commencement Address At Harvard](https://img.money.com/2017/05/markzuckerbergubi-em-688402250.jpg) *Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg delivers the commencement address at Harvard, May 25, 2017.* Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg thinks society should consider giving everyone a [universal basic income](https://time.com/4737956/universal-basic-income/)—a flat salary, regardless of employment, wealth, or need. And who does Zuckerberg think would pay for such handouts? Rich people like he will. The famed Harvard dropout made the comments in the commencement address he gave [at Harvard's graduation](http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/05/mark-zuckerbergs-speech-as-written-for-harvards-class-of-2017/) on Thursday. After jokingly pointing out, "If I get through this speech, it’ll be the first time I actually finish something at Harvard," Zuckerberg discussed ways that young people should aspire to make the world a better place. “We should have a society that measures progress not just by economic metrics like GDP, but by how many of us have a role we find meaningful,” Zuckerberg said. “We should explore ideas like universal basic income to give everyone a cushion to try new things.” In fact, the universal basic income is being explored around the world, with pilot programs and experiments underway in Holland, Finland, Kenya, and in [small pockets in the U.S. too](https://time.com/4369209/universal-basic-income-y-combinator/). A pair of American filmmakers are raising funds to give basic incomes to people and film what they do with it for [a documentary](https://www.bootstrapsfilm.com/) as well. Zuckerberg appears to be interested in exploring universal basic income on a broader scale. The concept is often pitched as an alternative to welfare, and as a means for society to cope with mass joblessness that could come as a result of increased automation in manufacturing and other fields. But Zuckerberg focused mainly on the opportunities and freedom that would come if everyone had a basic income. And yes, he said he's more than willing to pony up to cover what's sure to be a hefty bill, ostensibly via higher taxes on the rich. "Giving everyone the freedom to pursue purpose isn’t free," he said in his speech at Harvard. "People like me should pay for it. Many of you will do well and you should too." 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