A large group of graduates walked out of Stanford University’s commencement ceremony Sunday moments after Google CEO Sundar Pichai began delivering his keynote address.
Videos circulating on social media showed more than 100 students leaving their seats at Stanford Stadium while chanting, “Free, free Palestine.” Others could be heard booing and shouting “shame on you” as the tech titan spoke.
The protest was organized by groups including Students for Justice in Palestine and No Tech for Apartheid, which have campaigned against Google’s contracts with the Israeli government, the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Pichai, a Stanford alumnus who earned a master’s degree in materials science and engineering from the university in 1995, had been selected earlier this year as the keynote speaker for Stanford’s 135th commencement ceremony held on June 14.
The protest is the latest chapter in a years-long controversy surrounding Google’s involvement in Project Nimbus, a $1.2 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.
The dispute has already roiled the company internally.
In 2024, Google 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.
Despite the interruptions, Pichai continued his speech, which focused largely on optimism and adapting to change rather than artificial intelligence or geopolitics.
The Google chief acknowledged the uncertainty facing graduates but urged them to choose optimism as they enter a rapidly changing world.