Why over 100 Stanford students walked out during Sundar Pichai’s keynote

Stanford University’s 2026 commencement ceremony turned into a platform for protest as more than 100 students staged a walkout while Google CEO and Stanford alumnus Sundar Pichai began delivering his keynote address on June 14. The demonstration was organised by pro-Palestinian student groups opposing Google’s involvement in Project Nimbus, a controversial cloud computing and artificial intelligence contract with the Israeli government.  

Pichai, who earned a master’s degree in materials science and engineering from Stanford in 1995, was selected as the keynote speaker for the university’s 135th commencement ceremony. His return to campus as commencement speaker was seen as a significant moment for the institution, given his journey from Stanford graduate to CEO of Google and Alphabet.  

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According to The New York Post, students began leaving their seats at Stanford Stadium moments after Pichai took the stage, chanting “Free, free Palestine” and carrying Palestinian flags. The protest had reportedly been planned weeks in advance by student activists, who argued that Project Nimbus contributes to Israeli government operations amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.  

Project Nimbus is a $1.2 billion cloud computing and AI contract awarded jointly to Google and Amazon by the Israeli government. The project has faced criticism from activists and some Google employees, who claim the technology could be used in ways that affect Palestinians. Protesters at Stanford said their action was aimed at drawing attention to the issue rather than targeting Pichai personally.  

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Despite the walkout, the commencement ceremony continued as scheduled. Pichai delivered his speech to the remaining audience, focusing on themes of optimism, perseverance and the importance of personal choices. Notably, he avoided discussing artificial intelligence directly, a topic that has recently sparked negative reactions at several university commencement events.  

Addressing graduates, Pichai encouraged them to remain optimistic while navigating an increasingly uncertain world. Drawing from his own experiences as a student who arrived at Stanford from India, he reflected on how perspective and resilience can shape one’s future. He did not directly respond to the protest during his remarks and left the venue without commenting on the demonstration.