Hey folks. John here!
If you’ve ever been to a big, national conference, you know the keynotes are where inspiration meets real talk—and this year’s opening message at the annual Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) in Orlando, Florida was no exception.
To kick off FETC 2025, noted tech visionary Guy Kawasaki took the stage to deliver a keynote address titled “How to Help People Be Remarkable.” Known for his work as Apple’s Chief Evangelist during the company’s first meteoric rise—reporting directly to Steve Jobs—Kawasaki has spent decades helping people harness the transformative power of technology. Today, he continues his mission as Chief Evangelist for Canva, serves as the host of the Remarkable People podcast, and is the author of Think Remarkable, a book that distills lessons from his own life, and his biggest takeaways from the hundreds of interviews he’s conducted with some of the world’s most extraordinary minds, including Jane Goodall, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Steve Wozniak.
Kawasaki’s message was, not surprisingly, one of optimism and empowerment, particularly regarding the potential of AI in education. But what truly captivated the audience was his unexpected story of how he developed and uses his personal AI assistant, KawasakiGPT.
Kawasaki explained how he had fed the GPT every one of his published works, along with thousands of pages of transcripts from interviews he’s conducted or given. The result? An AI model capable of channeling his voice, ideas, and decades of experience—all freely available to the world at KawasakiGPT.com. He happily admitted to consulting KawasakiGPT while preparing the very FETC keynote he was delivering, joking that, as he ages, it’s “an even better Guy Kawasaki than Guy Kawasaki.” “I use AI every stinking day,” he said with a grin. “It’s not cheating—it’s research. It’s optimization. It’s about being a better version of myself.”
Kawasaki’s example served as a powerful demonstration of AI’s potential to amplify creativity and streamline the hard work of implementation. “Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard,” he reminded the crowd, underscoring the importance of using tools like AI to focus on what truly matters: ideas, innovation, and impact.
Here’s a quick rundown of his 12 takeaways, packed with wisdom, humor, and plenty of practical advice for educators.
1. Foster a Growth Mindset AND Provide a Growth Environment
It’s one thing to encourage growth; it’s another to create an environment where growth can actually happen. Kawasaki shared personal stories about learning to ice skate in his 40s and surfing at 60, proving it’s never too late to try something new. He challenged us to do the same for our students: create spaces where taking risks feels safe—and fun.
2. De-Emphasize Memorization
“Who painted this? What year?” Kawasaki mocked traditional test questions like these to thunderous applause. With information always in our pockets, he argued, why are we still obsessed with rote memorization? Instead, let’s teach students how to think critically, solve problems, and be creative.
3. Evangelize AI (Seriously)
“In the future, there are two kinds of people: those who know how to use AI and…well, the losers.” Kawasaki wasn’t pulling any punches. He shared how he uses AI every day, calling it a “wonderful, democratized tool” that’s made him better at being, well, him. For educators, AI isn’t cheating—it’s optimizing.
4. Convince Our Students to Do the Hard Stuff First
We all have that one task we dread. Kawasaki’s advice? Do it first. “If you knock out the hard stuff early, everything else feels easier,” he said. It’s a simple mindset shift that can change the way we tackle our to-do lists—and it’s great advice to pass on to our students.
5. Show Them There’s Always a Way
We all know that persistence pays off. But in an era of 24/7 connectivity, the magic of the internet (and the power of AI) makes it infinitely easier to achieve all sorts of things that previously might have felt impossible. To illustrate this point, Kawasaki shared a story from his own life about a time when one of his sons ran out of time for an assignment in a pottery class, and realized that he wouldn’t have enough homemade clay pots to show for his efforts. But Guy didn’t let him give up. Instead, he simply used Google and found a local pottery studio nearby to help his son get back to work slinging clay and making up for lost time so he could arrive, as scheduled, with every one of his assignments completed. The moral? Teach your students to think resourcefully and problem-solve their way through challenges.
6. Teach Them to Work Backwards
Believe it or not, Kodak’s patent for the digital camera is U.S. patent number 4,131,919, titled “electronic still camera” was filed way back in 1977. But did they ever take advantage of it and lock down the digital photography market? Hardly. Instead, the patent expired in 2007, and the company filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
Kodak’s downfall was a cautionary tale: they literally invented digital photography but couldn’t see past their identity as a chemical company. Kawasaki urged educators to empathize with students and start with their needs, then work backward to build solutions.
7. Interests > Passions
Telling students to “follow their passion” can feel like a lot of pressure. Kawasaki suggested a different approach: follow your interests. Our interests will naturally evolve over time, and that’s okay! Students don’t need to figure everything out today—they have their whole lives to explore.
8. Ask ‘What’s Missing?’
Kawasaki referenced the famous “invisible gorilla” experiment, where people focus so hard on counting basketball passes that they miss a gorilla walking through the scene. His point? Teach students to see the gaps in data, not just the obvious details.
9. Go and See. Go and Be.
Want to understand your students? Immerse yourself in their world. Kawasaki shared a story about a company that asked employees to breathe through straws to better understand asthmatic customers. Empathy isn’t theoretical—it’s experiential.
10. Keep Showing Up
It sounds simple (and we’ve said it before in this post), but it’s true: persistence wins. “A lot of people give up way too quickly,” Kawasaki said. Whether it’s students or teachers, the key is consistency. Keep showing up, and you’ll stand out in the long run.
11. Take the High Road
This one hit home: “Assume positive intent,” Kawasaki said. Over and over, his podcast guests have emphasized the power of giving people the benefit of the doubt. It’s a small mindset shift that makes a big difference in relationships. As teachers, we need to show our students the righteousness of the high road.
12. Make Decisions Right
Instead of obsessing over making the “right” decision, Kawasaki encouraged educators to focus on making their decisions right. Take action, iterate, and improve as you go. It’s the process, not the perfection, that counts.
Educators as Evangelists
Kawasaki ended with a mic-drop moment: “Educators are the purest form of evangelism. You bring the good news to your students every day.”
It’s a reminder we all need sometimes—what we do matters. Whether it’s trying out new tech, inspiring students to take risks, or just showing up (even on the tough days), we’re making a difference.
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