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Dozens walk out as Google boss Pichai addresses Stanford graduates

June 16, 2026

Stanford University graduates staged a walkout during their graduation ceremony as Google CEO Sundar Pichai delivered the keynote address, with participants protesting the company's collaborations with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Israel. The Stanford chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine organized the demonstration, which saw an estimated 200 students exit while carrying signs and Palestinian flags. This incident is part of a broader trend of student protests at American university graduations this year, though other campus demonstrations have primarily centered on artificial intelligence and employment concerns.

Who is affected

  • Dozens to approximately 200 Stanford University graduating students who participated in the walkout
  • Sundar Pichai, Google CEO and keynote speaker at the graduation
  • Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine organization
  • Palestinian communities (represented through the protest)
  • Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) (subject of protest)
  • Israel (subject of protest)
  • Google as an organization

What action is being taken

  • Students walked out of the Stanford graduation ceremony
  • Students carried signs and waved Palestinian flags during the exit
  • Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine organized the walkout and urged students to speak out against Google's ties to ICE and Israel

Why it matters

  • This protest demonstrates growing student activism against corporate partnerships with government agencies and foreign governments, particularly regarding immigration enforcement and Middle Eastern geopolitical issues. The incident reflects heightened campus tensions around the intersection of technology companies and controversial government policies. It also represents a shift in protest focus at this particular graduation, diverging from the AI-and-jobs concerns that dominated other recent university commencement protests across the United States.

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC