Stanford Graduates Walk Out on Google CEO Sundar Pichai

The protest, organized by Students for Justice in Palestine and the No Tech for Apartheid campaign, targeted Project Nimbus—a $1.2 billion agreement between Google, Amazon, and the Israeli government. Participants condemned the deal for providing infrastructure that supports Israeli military and intelligence agencies, arguing that the company is complicit in the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Beyond the Middle East, students also voiced opposition to Google’s partnerships with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.

Pichai, who famously noted in a recent interview that humanity may not be "evolved" enough to manage the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, avoided the topic during his speech. His caution followed a growing trend of campus protests across the country where graduates have disrupted speakers mentioning AI. Following the departure from the official ceremony, the students held a separate "People’s Commencement." The event featured activist Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student who previously spent over 100 days in ICE detention. "What good is education if it teaches us how to succeed and not how to care?" Khalil asked the assembly, framing the walkout as a moral choice prioritizing conscience over institutional prestige.