Scores of Stanford Graduates Walk Out During Google CEO Speech

Scores of graduates stood, booed and walked out of Stanford University's commencement ceremony on Sunday, June 14, 2026, as Google CEO Sundar Pichai took the stage. Some chanted "free, free Palestine" while marching from the stadium. The vast majority of students remained seated.

2 billion cloud-computing contract involving Google, Amazon and the Israeli government. Students and activists have criticized the deal over Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Pichai, who earned a master's degree in materials science and engineering from Stanford in 1995, joined Google in 2004 and later became CEO of Google and its parent company Alphabet.

Even as Levin spoke, many students responded with boos. When Pichai began his remarks, the walkout occurred. Pichai addressed the moment directly. "What I see in front of me is how graduation should be," he said.

Graduates who left the main ceremony held a separate "People's Commencement" under oak trees. Banners declared "PALESTINE WILL BE FREE," and speakers played Marvin Gaye and Nina Simone. " The protest followed more than a year of campus activism over the war in Gaza and calls for Stanford to divest from entities tied to Israel's military actions.

In 2024, 13 people were arrested during a sit-in at the university's administrative offices. Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen filed felony vandalism charges against 12 individuals. The jury deadlocked, and a judge later disqualified Rosen from retrying the case.

Last year, more than a dozen students and faculty members staged a hunger strike for divestment. S. Department of Education for antisemitic discrimination and harassment following the protests.