Hundreds of students staged a protest during Stanford University's 2026 graduation ceremony as Google CEO Sundar Pichai took the stage to deliver the commencement address.
The demonstration saw students walk out of the event, wave Palestinian flags, and voice opposition to Google's ties with the Israeli government.
Students stage a walkout during commencement
As Pichai was introduced to address the graduating class, around 200 students stood up from their seats and began a coordinated protest. Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags, blew whistles, chanted slogans, and many wore keffiyehs in support of Palestinians. Videos from the ceremony showed students leaving the stadium in their graduation gowns and caps while some booed as they walked out.
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Despite the disruption, as per NDTV reports, Pichai continued with his speech. At the beginning of his remarks, he said, "I must warn you all, this is only the second commencement speech that I have ever given. The first was literally in my backyard."
Protest linked to Project Nimbus
The walkout was reportedly organised by Students for Justice in Palestine and No Tech for Apartheid. Protesters said they were demonstrating against Google's contracts with the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), the Department of Homeland Security, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The protest was also tied to Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud-computing and artificial intelligence agreement between Google, Amazon, and the Israeli government. Pro-Palestinian activists have criticised the project and alleged that it supports Israeli government operations.
Stanford grads walk out as Google CEO Sundar Pichai takes the stage as commencement speaker. No mention of AI, unlike other uni speakers getting booed down this year. Story for @sfgate shortly pic.twitter.com/qvS2rJ91Ip
” Matt Brown (@maattttbrown) June 14, 2026
A separate event held after the walkout
After leaving the ceremony, many of the students reportedly attended a separate gathering called the "People's Commencement." The event featured Mahmoud Khalil as the keynote speaker. Khalil had previously been detained by US immigration authorities for more than 100 days over his involvement in pro-Palestinian activism at Columbia University in 2024, according to NDTV.
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Pichai focuses on optimism
During his address, Pichai avoided discussing artificial intelligence, a subject that has recently drawn criticism and boos at university events involving technology leaders. Instead, he focused on resilience and optimism.
Speaking about younger generations and technological change, Pichai said, "I've always been extraordinarily optimistic about the next generation. AI doesn't change that. These graduates are actually both going to be a big part of driving that progress and also dealing with the impact."
