Pinterest's CEO reframes the DEI debate by stating it is not in conflict with meritocracy, but a requirement for it. A system that isn't inclusive inherently limits its talent pool, making it less meritorious. By focusing on inclusion, Pinterest gained an "unfair share of great talent" and outperformed competitors.

Citing innovation expert Clayton Christensen, ASU's president explains that true transformation in legacy sectors like education requires disrupting from the core, not the periphery. This involves creating a new, differentiated institutional model rather than simply replacing old components through 'creative destruction'.

Elite universities with massive endowments and shrinking acceptance rates are betraying their public service mission. By failing to expand enrollment, they function more like exclusive 'hedge funds offering classes' that manufacture scarcity to protect their brand prestige, rather than educational institutions aiming to maximize societal impact.

Across three billion years and four stages of mind (molecule, neuron, network, community), intelligence has consistently advanced by diversifying its thinking elements. The most powerful minds at each stage are those with the greatest variety of components. This frames diversity as a fundamental, time-tested strategy for improving competence in any system, including organizations.

ASU's president argues that if an AI can answer an assignment, the assignment has failed. The educator's role must evolve to use AI to 'up the game,' forcing students to ask more sophisticated questions, making the quality of the query—not the synthesized answer—the hallmark of learning.

To drive change in a tenure-protected environment, ASU's president empowered faculty to redesign their own departments. This led them to eliminate 85 legacy units and create 40 new, purpose-driven schools, such as turning a Geology department into a 'School for Earth and Space Exploration'.

ASU President Michael Crow argues that Ivy League schools are based on the colonial British model—small, elite, and fundamentally unscalable. This structure is insufficient for a large, modern democracy, which demands new university designs built for scale, speed, and broad accessibility.

The frenzy around elite college admissions is a systemic 'collective action trap.' Even parents and students who understand the limited value of prestige are forced to compete due to intense social pressure and status anxiety, amplified by social media. Opting out individually carries too high a social cost.

By adding resilience as a core hiring criterion, Pinterest naturally attracts diverse candidates from non-traditional backgrounds who have overcome adversity. This focus shifts hiring away from traditional signals of success, increasing diversity and bringing in employees who are better equipped for business challenges.