Around 200 Stanford students walked out during Google CEO Sundar Pichai's commencement speech to protest the company's ties to Israel. The demonstration was organized by pro-Palestinian student groups citing Project Nimbus.
The walkout highlights the growing student activism and protests against tech companies' involvement in geopolitical conflicts, particularly concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and raises questions about free speech on university campuses.
During Stanford University's 135th Commencement ceremony, approximately 200 students staged a walkout as Google CEO Sundar Pichai began his keynote address. The students, voicing support for Palestine, protested Google's business dealings with the Israeli government, specifically mentioning the $1.2 billion Project Nimbus cloud-computing contract. This demonstration follows similar pro-Palestinian protests at recent Stanford commencements related to the conflict in Gaza. Pichai, who earned a Master of Science from Stanford, shared personal reflections on his journey from Chennai to Silicon Valley, emphasizing resilience and optimism. He spoke about overcoming challenges and the importance of framing circumstances, drawing from his own experiences with limited technology in his youth and his decision to pursue a master's degree at Stanford instead of a PhD. The protest was organized by groups including 'Students for Justice in Palestine' and 'No Tech for Apartheid.' Social media videos showed students carrying Palestinian flags and banners while chanting slogans. Tech investor Vinod Khosla criticized the students' actions as "stupid" and "selfish," while lawmaker Ro Khanna defended their right to free expression and to challenge authority, understanding their protest was against Google's contract with the IDF.