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Hundreds of Stanford graduates walk out during Google CEO speech in protest
Fortune • • world
Key Points:
- Stanford’s 2026 graduating class staged a walkout during Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai’s commencement speech, organized by the Stanford chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, protesting Google's alleged collaboration with the Israeli government.
- The activists criticized Google for its involvement in Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract providing the Israeli military with access to cloud computing and AI software, which has sparked protests from both external groups and Google employees.
- Pichai’s speech avoided direct mention of AI, focusing instead on optimism and advice for graduates, despite AI being central to the activists’ concerns regarding ethical use and surveillance technologies.
- This protest is part of a broader trend of commencement speakers facing backlash over AI-related topics, with similar disruptions occurring at other universities in recent months.
- In a separate interview, Pichai expressed confidence in younger generations to navigate the challenges and opportunities posed by technological advancements like AI, while acknowledging their anxieties.
