DOZENS OF STANFORD STUDENTS WALK OUT ON GOOGLE CEO’S GRADUATION SPEECH

Mon 15 June 2026:

Shortly after Sundar Pichai took the stage at Stanford’s graduation, 100+ students staged a walkout.

According to a report by The Jerusalem Post, the demonstration took place at Stanford Stadium on Sunday, moments after Pichai took the stage as the invited keynote speaker.

Videos shared on social media showed graduates leaving their seats and chanting pro-Palestinian slogans, including “Free, free Palestine,” as they marched out of the venue.

The protest was organized by student groups, including Students for Justice in Palestine and No Tech for Apartheid.

BREAKING: Stanford University graduates staged a walkout during Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s keynote address at commencement Sunday.

The walkout was organized by Students for Justice in Palestine and No Tech for Apartheid as a protest against Google’s contracts with the IDF, Dept.… pic.twitter.com/j2SI2dtwLC

— BreakThrough News (@BTnewsroom) June 14, 2026

Protest over Project Nimbus cloud contract

Activists stated that the demonstration targeted Google’s involvement in Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud-computing contract shared with Amazon and the Israeli government.

The contract has drawn intense scrutiny from students, tech workers, and activists opposed to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Pichai, a Stanford alumnus who earned a master’s degree in materials science and engineering from the institution in 1995, proceeded with his speech despite the disruption.

His address largely avoided the artificial intelligence debate that has led to the booing of other technology executives at recent university commencement events.

Instead, Pichai focused on broad themes of optimism, hard choices, and personal resilience, urging graduates to pursue work that excites them.

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet and keynote speaker for Stanford’s 2026 Commencement.

Campus activism and alternative commencement

The demonstration unfolded in front of nearly 6,000 degree recipients, faculty members, and guests.

While the vast majority of the audience remained seated, many of the departing students later assembled under oak trees elsewhere on campus to hold an alternative “People’s Commencement” featuring banners and guest speakers.

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This walkout follows more than a year of continuous campus activism regarding the war in Gaza and demands for divestment.

Previous actions included a hunger strike and a sit-in at the administrative offices that resulted in 13 arrests. Neither Stanford University nor Google provided immediate comments regarding the demonstration.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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