Daijiworld Media Network – California
California, Jun 15: More than 100 students staged a walkout during Stanford University's commencement ceremony as Sundar Pichai began delivering his graduation address, protesting Google's involvement in a controversial cloud computing project with the Israeli government.
According to reports, the students left their seats at Stanford Stadium chanting “Free, free Palestine” shortly after Pichai took the stage to address the graduating class.
The demonstration was organised by Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine, which had announced the protest weeks in advance. The group opposes Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud computing and artificial intelligence contract awarded by the Israeli government to Google and Amazon.
Protesters argued that the project supports Israeli government operations amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Despite widespread debate surrounding artificial intelligence, Pichai largely avoided discussing AI in his commencement speech. Instead, he focused on the theme of optimism and resilience.
“Choose optimism,” Pichai told graduates. “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 their own way. We don’t get to choose the world we graduate into, but we do get to choose how we frame our circumstances.”
Pichai, who earned a master's degree from Stanford University, also reflected on his student years and his decision to pursue a corporate career rather than remain in academia.
Following the ceremony, Pichai declined to comment on the protest when approached by a journalist. Asked whether he had any reaction to the student demonstration, the Google chief reportedly walked away without responding.
The protest highlights continuing opposition on university campuses to corporate involvement in projects linked to the Israel-Gaza conflict, with Project Nimbus remaining a focal point for pro-Palestinian activists in the United States.