'Free Palestine': Stanford Students Stage Walkout As Google CEO Sundar Pichai Begins Speech | Video

Last Updated:June 15, 2026, 12:10 IST

Protesters targeted Google’s relationship with the Israeli government, particularly the company’s USD 1.2 billion cloud-computing agreement signed in 2021, known as Project Nimbus.

Stanford University’s 135th Commencement ceremony on Sunday saw a significant student protest, as dozens of graduates walked out during Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s keynote address in a show of support for Palestine and opposition to the tech giant’s business ties with Israel.

Pichai, a Stanford alumnus who earned a Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering from the university, returned to his alma mater to address the class of 2026. According to the Stanford Report, more than 20,000 people, including 3,600 students, attended the ceremony.

However, as Pichai spoke to students, faculty, parents and other attendees, about 200 students stood up and left the venue, SFGate reported. Several small groups remaining in the audience were seen waving banners, blowing whistles and holding Palestinian flags before also walking out mid-speech.

Protesters targeted Google’s relationship with the Israeli government, particularly the company’s USD 1.2 billion cloud-computing agreement signed in 2021, known as Project Nimbus. Demonstrators described the deal as emblematic of what they view as problematic tech collaboration with Israel. The walkout continued a pattern of recent Stanford commencements, during which students have repeatedly used the event to protest Israel’s war in Gaza and what they see as the university’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism on campus.

Videos circulating on social media showed students leaving the ceremony while chanting “Free Palestine" and carrying Palestinian flags and protest banners as Pichai delivered his remarks. Reports said the action was organised by groups including Students for Justice in Palestine and No Tech for Apartheid.

In his speech, Pichai reflected on his personal journey from Chennai to California and the lessons he learned along the way. The Indian-born executive, who also studied at IIT Kharagpur and the Wharton School, urged graduates to focus on how they respond to difficult times.

“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 the audience.

He also shared how his academic plans shifted during his time at Stanford.

“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," he said, encouraging graduates to gravitate towards challenging work.

The student walkout drew strong reactions beyond the campus. Indian-American venture capitalist and technology executive Vinod Khosla publicly criticised the protesters in a post on X, calling their actions “biased, idiotic, short-sighted and very selfish."

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