Students walk out of Google CEO's speech at Stanford commencement over Israel cloud contract

Dozens of Stanford graduates turned a commencement ceremony into a protest as Google CEO Sundar Pichai took the stage, booing and walking out to demonstrate against the tech giant's work with Israel. The demonstration targeted Pichai, a Stanford alumnus, and the company's involvement in Project Nimbus.

The protest focused on Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud-computing contract that includes Google, Amazon, and the Israeli government. Critics, including students and activists, oppose the contract due to its connection with Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Despite the disruption, Pichai, who joined Google in 2004 and played a key role in developing Google Chrome, appeared unfazed by the demonstrators.

As Pichai, now CEO of Google and its parent company Alphabet, prepared to speak, many students responded with boos. When he began his address, scores of students rose from their seats and exited the stadium, some chanting "free, free Palestine." The majority of graduates, however, remained seated throughout the ceremony. Pichai acknowledged the moment, stating, "What I see in front of me is how graduation should be... Graduates celebrating together with the people you love who have supported you on your journey."

The protest occurred amidst a broader trend of pushback against tech leaders at commencement speeches, particularly concerning artificial intelligence. Pichai's address, however, largely avoided the AI debate, focusing instead on themes of optimism, difficult decisions, and pursuing fulfilling work. The demonstration at Stanford followed similar pushback Pichai faced at the University of Arizona, where former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was booed while discussing AI.

“

What I see in front of me is how graduation should be. Graduates celebrating together with the people you love who have supported you on your journey.