Redstone addressed the Class of 2002, who graduated into one of the bleakest job markets in recent memory — billions of dot-com dollars had vanished, the economy had slipped through a recession, 2.2 million Americans had lost their jobs, and 65,000 pink slips had been issued on Wall Street since September 11th. Rather than offering sympathy, Redstone reframed their misfortune as their greatest advantage. He argued that having to work harder to get a foot in the door, having to pitch themselves rather than their pedigree, would ultimately forge stronger characters. He drew from his own experience of leaving Harvard for military service, taking a massive pay cut to join his family's struggling movie theater chain, and spending 33 years building it before making his boldest move at age 64.