- Days before speaking at Ohio State University's commencement ceremony on Sunday, Chris Pang said on LinkedIn that he took the hallucinogen ayahuasca to write the first draft.
- Pan was touted in the graduation program as a “social entrepreneur, musician, and inspirational speaker.”
- However, his speech and on-stage demonstration with OSU President Ted Carter were booed by the audience as Pan attempted to encourage alumni and attendees to purchase cryptocurrencies.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The person chosen to speak at Ohio State University's spring commencement ceremony did not go into detail about how he created the controversial script.
A few days before Sunday's ceremony, OSU president-elect Chris Pang said on LinkedIn that he took the hallucinogen ayahuasca to write the first draft.
“This week, with the help of AI (Ayahuasca Intelligence), I will be writing a commencement speech for 60,000 graduates and their families at Ohio State University next Sunday,” Pan wrote. . “I tried ChatGPT, but it wasn't very good.”
Pan was touted in the graduation program as a “social entrepreneur, musician, and inspirational speaker.” However, Pan's speech and on-stage demonstration with OSU President Ted Carter were met with boos from the audience as he attempted to encourage alumni and attendees to purchase cryptocurrencies, and the university's live I could hear it on the stream too.
“Savings alone are not enough because inflation exploded after the pandemic, which is why everything has become so expensive…I think Bitcoin is a very misunderstood asset class.”Pan he said. “It is decentralized and finite, which means no government can print more at will.”
This was part of Pan's investment pitch, but he said it was hampered by internal factors, rather than external factors such as student loans or market conditions.
“The investment structure is actually simple, but it depends on your mindset,” Pan says. “The most common barriers are fear, laziness, and closed-mindedness.”
Ohio State spokesman Ben Johnson declined to comment on Pan's references to Bitcoin, but said the university did not approve the selected speakers' pre-ceremony speeches. Asked about Pan's comments about using hallucinogens in preparing the speech, Johnson said his staff had seen his draft.
Even in the university's own coverage of its graduation ceremony, there is no mention of any commentary on cryptocurrencies. Instead, he focused on other parts of his speech, such as encouraging civility in society.
“If no one has wronged us, we cannot learn forgiveness, we cannot learn compassion without suffering, we cannot learn resilience without setbacks,” Pan said in his commencement speech. Ta. “You cannot learn tolerance without different perspectives.”
-
Chris Pang spoke about Bitcoin in his commencement speech with Ohio State President Ted Carter. (Photo provided by Ohio State University) -
Chris Pang (right) talks about Bitcoin during his commencement speech with Ohio State President Ted Carter. (Photo provided by Ohio State University)
Johnson said commencement speakers are selected after a committee of Ohio State University students, faculty and staff reviews nominations from the OSU community. The panel then recommends options based on the candidate's public speaking skills, message relevance, name recognition, and core values that align with the university's values.
Mr. Pang graduated from Ohio State University in 1999. His LinkedIn profile lists his career as a senior associate at McKinsey & Company, marketing director at PepsiCo China, and program manager at Facebook.
The speaker's latest work involves his own company, MyIntent, which makes woven bracelets with custom messages. Towards the end of his speech, Pan announced that everyone in attendance at the stadium would receive a bracelet.
Commenters on social media were confused about how the process would work, but a university spokesperson said instructions would be forthcoming on Monday.
“Graduates should receive an email from the university today with further information,” Johnson said. “We did not share student contact information.”
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
