Stanford Students Walk Out During Sundar Pichai's Graduation Speech Over Google’s Israel Links

Hundreds of students staged a walkout during Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s commencement address at Stanford University on Sunday, turning one of the institution’s biggest annual celebrations into a platform for protest over the tech giant’s ties with Israel.

According to reports, about 200 students left the ceremony as Pichai addressed graduates, faculty members and families at Stanford’s 135th Commencement ceremony. Videos circulating on social media showed students carrying Palestinian flags and banners while chanting “Free Palestine” as they exited the venue.

Protest Targets Google’s Israel Contract

The walkout was organised by groups including Students for Justice in Palestine and No Tech for Apartheid. Protesters said the demonstration was aimed at highlighting Google's relationship with the Israeli government, particularly Project Nimbus, a USD 1.2 billion cloud-computing contract signed in 2021.

Several small groups in the audience also waved banners, blew whistles and displayed Palestinian flags before leaving during the speech, according to reports.

The Stanford chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine had announced the protest weeks earlier. In a statement quoted by media reports, the group said: “We don't need another tech billionaire to tell us how to get rich off of the killing and surveillance of Palestinians.”

“Take a stance against war profiteering. Tell the Google CEO that he is not welcome,” the group added.

The protest reflects how the Israel-Gaza conflict continues to influence campus politics in the US, with commencement ceremonies increasingly becoming venues for student activism.

Pichai Shares Journey From Chennai to Silicon Valley

Despite the disruption, Pichai continued his address, focusing on optimism, resilience and his personal journey from Chennai to California.

“It’s easy to look at the news of the day and think that we’re living in uniquely challenging times. For me, it’s helpful to remember that each generation has faced hardship in its own way. We don’t get to choose the world we graduate into, but we do get to choose how we frame our circumstances,” he told students.

The Google CEO recalled growing up in Chennai and spoke about the challenges his family faced.

“We worried about severe drought and whether the water trucks would arrive in time. And for us, technology came slowly. We had to wait years to get a telephone, a TV, and a refrigerator. Each changed our lives in meaningful ways,” he said.

Pichai also recounted how his father spent the equivalent of a year's salary to buy him a plane ticket to attend Stanford.

“When the call from Stanford came, my father spent the equivalent of a year’s salary to buy my ticket. It was my first time on a plane,” he said.

Reflecting on his academic journey, Pichai revealed that he initially planned to pursue a PhD and a career in academia before changing direction.

“I came here fully intending to get my PhD, and to move into academics. Life had other plans, and I needed to get a job sooner. So I left my doctoral programme. Stanford was generous to offer me the chance to fulfil the requirements for a master’s,” he said.

Encouraging graduates to embrace challenges, he added: “I’d love to tell you I was an immediate success after leaving Stanford. I wasn’t. Even a decade later, I felt like I wasn’t on the right path, and it took me a while to find my footing.”

Pichai also urged students to remain optimistic despite global uncertainty.

“Choose optimism. The world is going through a lot, global conflicts, economic anxiety, a rewiring of technology, information overload, all at a fast pace. We don’t get to choose the world we graduate into, but we do get to choose how we frame our circumstances,” he said.

The protest later sparked debate online. Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla criticised the students on X, calling the walkout “biased, idiotic, short-sighted and very selfish”.

Responding to Khosla, US Congressman Ro Khanna defended the students’ right to protest, writing that regardless of differing views on Google's contracts, “their right of free expression and challenging authority” should be respected.

More than 20,000 people, including 3,600 students, attended the commencement ceremony, one of Stanford’s largest graduating events in recent years. (with inputs from agencies)