Google CEO Sundar Pichai faced walkout and boos at Stanford graduation over the company's military and immigration enforcement contracts.

What happened

About 200 Stanford students walked out of Sundar Pichai's commencement speech, while others booed. The protest targeted Google's Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion（約1900億円） contract shared with Amazon to provide cloud and AI services to the Israeli military, and Google's relationship with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Student signs read "ICE SPIES WITH GOOGLE AI" and "GENOCIDE RUNS ON GOOGLE," and protesters waved Palestinian flags.

Why it matters

Google has faced sustained internal and external pressure over Project Nimbus since the war in Gaza began. The company fired 28 workers for protesting the contract in 2024, yet dissent has continued. The Electronic Frontier Foundation recently accused Google and other companies of "choosing to look the other way" on Israel's use of their services. This Stanford protest shows the issue extends beyond Google's own workforce to college students entering the job market.

What to watch

Pichai's Stanford appearance is part of a broader pattern—speakers at college graduations nationwide have faced boos over AI hype. However, student animus toward Pichai was notably targeted at specific business decisions by Google rather than AI itself, reflecting young people's concerns that AI may threaten employment and harm society.