Google CEO Sundar Pichai faced backlash during his commencement speech at Stanford University, where he earned his graduate degree in materials science and engineering. Approximately 200 students from the graduating class walked out, while others loudly booed the tech executive. The protest centered on Google’s defense ties, including Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract with Amazon to provide cloud and AI services to the Israeli military, as well as its relationship with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Students waved Palestinian flags and shouted 'free Palestine,' according to online video of the protest.
The walkout was organized by several campus activist groups, including Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine, No Tech for Apartheid, and Tech for Liberation. Student signs featured phrases like 'ICE SPIES WITH GOOGLE AI' and 'GENOCIDE RUNS ON GOOGLE.' A protest statement read, 'We are walking out because we refuse to glorify the corporations that fuel this violence and exercise our power to choose differently.' TechCrunch reached out to Google for comment, but no response was provided.
The protest reflects growing concerns over Google’s involvement in Project Nimbus, which has drawn criticism from both inside and outside the company. In 2024, Google fired 28 workers for protesting the contract, and internal dissent has continued since then. The Electronic Frontier Foundation recently criticized Google and other companies for 'choosing to look the other way' on Israel’s use of their services. Project Nimbus also receives support from Amazon, while Microsoft has faced criticism for its support of the Israeli military.
Source: techcrunch
