More Than 100 Stanford Graduates Walk Out During Pichai Speech

More than 100 graduates walked out of Stanford University’s commencement ceremony on June 14 moments after Google CEO Sundar Pichai began his keynote address. ” The protest was organized by Students for Justice in Palestine and No Tech for Apartheid. The groups have previously posted images mourning the death of influencers in Gaza who have openly celebrated the Oct.

Pichai earned a master’s degree in materials science and engineering from Stanford in 1995 and was selected earlier this year as the keynote speaker for the university’s 135th commencement ceremony. Despite the interruptions, he continued his speech, which focused largely on optimism and adapting to change rather than artificial intelligence or geopolitics.

2 billion cloud computing contract jointly held with Amazon to provide cloud and artificial intelligence services to the Israeli government.

Critics, including some employees and pro-Palestinian activists, argue the technology could be used by Israel’s military and security agencies in ways that harm Palestinians. Google has maintained that the contract is for government cloud services and has repeatedly defended its work.

In 2024, the company fired dozens of employees after sit-ins and demonstrations at offices in California and New York protesting Project Nimbus and the company’s ties to Israel.

Sunday’s walkout also comes amid a broader wave of campus unrest and skepticism toward Big Tech at graduation ceremonies this year. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was booed during a commencement address at the University of Arizona earlier this year as students voiced concerns about artificial intelligence and its effect on jobs.

Similar scenes have played out at universities across the country, with graduates increasingly using commencement ceremonies to protest speakers’ corporate ties, AI advocacy and political positions.