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Hundreds of Stanford graduates staged a dramatic walkout during a commencement ceremony on Sunday as Google CEO Sundar Pichai took to the stage.
The massive protest turned what should have been a celebration of academic achievement into the latest flashpoint in the ongoing battle over Big Tech's ties to Israel.
As Pichai rose to deliver the keynote address at one of the nation's most prestigious universities, groups of students stood up and streamed out of the ceremony in protest.
Some waved Palestinian flags, blew whistles and unfurled banners condemning Google's relationship with the Israeli government.
The demonstration marked the latest in a string of pro-Palestinian protests that have disrupted commencement events at Stanford in recent years amid continuing tensions surrounding the war in Gaza.
According to reports from the ceremony, roughly 200 students participated in the walkout as Pichai began speaking.
Many of the protesters were angered by Google's involvement in Project Nimbus, a controversial $1.2 billion cloud-computing contract awarded jointly to Google and Amazon by the Israeli government in 2021.
The deal has become a lightning rod for activists who argue technology companies should not provide services that could support Israeli government operations.
Around 200 Stanford University students walked out of their commencement ceremony as Google CEO Sundar Pichai took the stage to deliver the keynote address
The walkout was organized in opposition to Google's business ties with the Israeli government
While protesters walked out of the ceremony, others remained in the audience holding signs and Palestinian flags before eventually departing during the speech.
The disruption came despite Pichai largely steering clear of the topics that have sparked backlash at commencement ceremonies across the country this year.
Rather than focusing on artificial intelligence, a subject that has frequently generated boos and protests at graduation events, Pichai delivered a speech centered on his own personal journey from India to Silicon Valley, and the opportunities technology created in his own life.
The Google chief executive spoke about his experiences immigrating to California, his educational path and the challenges he faced during the early stages of his career.
He also reflected on the transformative power of technology and its ability to expand opportunities for people around the world, reports SFGate.
'Seeing computing change people's lives as it had changed mine was the most exciting thing in the world to me,' Pichai said during the address.
The speech represented a notable departure from many recent commencement appearances by technology leaders, who have increasingly focused on the explosive growth of AI and its potential impact on the workforce.
Those conversations have rarely been welcomed by graduating students.
Despite leading one of the world's most influential tech companies, Pichai didn't focus his speech on AI, instead centering his remarks on his personal journey from India to Silicon Valley
Last month, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt encountered a frosty reception while speaking at the University of Arizona's commencement ceremony.
Schmidt drew boos from some graduates after telling the audience that 'AI is going to touch everything,' even 'if you don't care about science.'
The reaction highlighted growing unease among many students about how rapidly advancing artificial intelligence could reshape the job market they are preparing to enter.
Pichai appeared keenly aware of those concerns.
During a recent appearance on The New York Times' 'Hard Fork' podcast, interviewers even asked him about his potential 'boo strategy' ahead of the Stanford ceremony following Schmidt's experience.
Ultimately, Pichai sidestepped the AI debate altogether. Instead, he emphasized accessibility and the ways technology can empower individuals regardless of their background.
After the initial demonstrations subsided, Pichai's remarks were generally met with applause from much of the audience.
Graduates responded warmly to anecdotes about his early struggles, career setbacks and unexpected turns that ultimately helped shape his rise to the top of one of the world's most powerful companies.
The commencement protest underscored continuing tensions at Stanford University, where pro-Palestinian demonstrations and debates over Gaza have repeatedly spilled onto campus
But the protest underscores how deeply divided many college campuses remain over Israel and Gaza.
Stanford has repeatedly found itself at the center of those debates over the past three years, with demonstrations erupting over both the conflict itself and the university's response to pro-Palestinian activism.
For a second consecutive year, students who objected to the official commencement ceremonies organized an alternative event known as the 'People's Commencement.'
This year's gathering featured activist Mahmoud Khalil as its keynote speaker.
Khalil became a prominent figure after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained him for more than 100 days and sought his deportation over his involvement in pro-Palestinian activism connected to demonstrations at Columbia University in 2024.
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