Stanford Graduates Walk Out on Pichai Over Palestine Issues
WHO:
The Mercury News - Eva Jones, who graduated with a master’s degree and helped organize a "People’s Commencement" in protest.
The Mercury News - Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, Stanford President Jonathan Levin, graduates of Stanford University, students protesting.
Business Insider - Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO, Scott Borchetta, CEO of Big Machine Records, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic.
WHAT:
The Mercury News - Graduates gathered for a "People’s Commencement" after walking out, surrounded by banners declaring “PALESTINE WILL BE FREE” and speakers playing music.
The Mercury News - Hundreds of graduates walked out during Pichai's commencement speech in protest of Google's policies regarding Israel.
The Mercury News - The protest was centered around Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud-computing contract involving Google, Amazon, and the Israeli government.
Business Insider - Pichai's speech included advice to "choose optimism" and emphasized the importance of reframing perspectives.
WHERE:
The Mercury News - Stanford University, specifically during the commencement ceremony.
WHEN:
The Mercury News - The commencement ceremony took place on a Sunday morning.
The Mercury News - In 2024, 13 people were arrested during a sit-in at Stanford's administrative offices.
WHY:
The Mercury News - The protest was part of ongoing campus activism demanding Stanford divest from entities supporting Israel’s military actions.
The Mercury News - The protest was motivated by opposition to Israel's military campaign in Gaza and criticism of Google's involvement in Project Nimbus.
The Mercury News - There has been over a year of campus activism related to the war in Gaza and demands for Stanford to divest from entities supporting Israel.
HOW:
The Mercury News - The "People’s Commencement" featured a small stage and was held under oak trees, contrasting with the official ceremony.
The Mercury News - Graduates participated in a "Wacky Walk" tradition, wearing costumes to the ceremony.
The Mercury News - Students chanted "free, free Palestine" as they walked out of the stadium during Pichai's speech.
(UPDATED June 15, 2026 23:33 UTC)
Graduates at Stanford organized a "People’s Commencement" in protest, led by Eva Jones, who recently earned her master’s degree. The event featured banners proclaiming “PALESTINE WILL BE FREE” and included music, creating a vibrant atmosphere under oak trees, in stark contrast to the official ceremony. This protest is part of ongoing campus activism calling for the university to divest from entities that support Israel’s military actions.
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(UPDATED June 15, 2026 15:04 UTC)
During the commencement ceremony at Stanford University, hundreds of graduates staged a walkout while Google CEO Sundar Pichai delivered his speech, protesting the company's policies regarding Israel and its involvement in Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud-computing contract with the Israeli government. As graduates participated in a "Wacky Walk" tradition, they chanted "free, free Palestine," expressing their opposition to Israel's military campaign in Gaza and calling for Stanford to divest from entities supporting Israel. Pichai's speech encouraged graduates to "choose optimism" and highlighted the importance of reframing perspectives amid ongoing campus activism related to these issues.