VIDEO: Stanford Grads Walk Out on Sundar Pichai’s Speech
Stanford University’s commencement ceremony took a sharp turn on Sunday when more than 100 graduates walked out as Google CEO Sundar Pichai took the stage. What should have been a routine graduation moment became a loud protest, with students chanting “Free, free Palestine” as they headed for the exits.
Others stayed in their seats and shouted “shame on you” while Pichai addressed the crowd at Stanford Stadium. Several of the protesting graduates carried Palestinian flags, making it clear this was not a quiet objection. It was a public statement, right in the middle of one of the university’s biggest events of the year.
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The protest was organized by groups including Students for Justice in Palestine and No Tech for Apartheid. The focus was Google’s involvement in Project Nimbus, the $1.2 billion cloud computing and artificial intelligence contract that Google shares with Amazon and that provides services to the Israeli government.
Activists argue that the technology could be used by Israeli military and security agencies. Google has denied that claim and says the deal is for government cloud services. The controversy has already caused trouble inside the company before. In 2024, Google fired dozens of employees after sit-ins and demonstrations at offices in California and New York over the same issue.
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Pichai, who earned a master’s degree in materials science and engineering from Stanford in 1995, was invited to give the school’s 135th commencement keynote. Despite the walkout, he kept going. His remarks leaned toward optimism and change, with a message aimed at graduates entering an uncertain world. He did not dwell on artificial intelligence, Israel, or the fight over Project Nimbus.
The scene fits a pattern seen on campuses across the country this year. Graduation ceremonies have become political flashpoints, with invited speakers facing protests over corporate ties, Middle East policy, and artificial intelligence. Stanford was the latest school to see celebration give way to confrontation.
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In the end, Pichai finished his speech. But the moment many people will remember is the one where the graduates got up, walked out, and made sure everyone in the stadium knew exactly why.