Dozens of students walked out of Stanford University’s graduation as Google CEO Sundar Pichai took the stage for his keynote.
BBC video showed students protesting Google’s work with the US government. The walkout was encouraged by Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine.
The protest followed other campus actions against tech leaders, mostly over artificial intelligence and job concerns.
Pichai largely sidestepped AI in his remarks, joking about expected protests. He said, “People thought it would be really difficult for me. It is the last two letters of my last name, after all.”
Pichai, a Stanford alumnus, did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment. SFGate estimated as many as 200 students left the ceremony. Some carried signs, including one reading “ICE spies with Google AI,” while others waved Palestinian flags.
Stanford’s SJP chapter urged students to oppose Google’s ties to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Israel. It was unclear if all who walked out were motivated by the same cause.
Graduation protests this year have highlighted broader unease about AI. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was booed at the University of Arizona in May when he compared the AI boom to the rise of computers.
Real estate executive Gloria Caulfield faced jeers at the University of Central Florida, and Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta was met with boos at Middle Tennessee State University after telling graduates. “Deal with it, like I said, it’s a tool,” he said.
