Julia Steinberg@juliasteinberg
Stanford grads are booing Sundar Pichai — their commencement speaker
10:23 AM · Jun 14, 2026 · 9.8K Views
Stanford graduates boo and walk out as Google CEO Sundar Pichai delivers a commencement address that omitted AI
Story Overview
Stanford's June 2026 commencement saw graduates walk out on alumnus Sundar Pichai during his address, waving flags and chanting in protest over the company's contracts. The speech itself focused on optimism without touching AI, a deliberate omission amid campus anxiety about the technology's job impacts and other speakers facing AI-related heckling this year.
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Policy Risk
Protesters zeroed in on specific Google deals
Organizers from Stanford SJP and No Tech for Apartheid framed the action around Project Nimbus and other ties they say support surveillance and military operations, with keffiyehs and Palestinian flags visible as sections of the stadium cleared.
Open Question
AI avoidance stood out against the backdrop
Unlike other 2026 commencements where optimistic AI remarks drew boos, Pichai skipped the topic entirely, leaving open whether that choice muted or amplified the existing friction over tech's broader role.
Sentiment
Many users insulted the Stanford graduates who walked out on Sundar Pichai at commencement over AI, calling them losers or worse, while some praised the protest or agreed with criticism of it as selfish.
Pos
12.5%
Neg
87.5%
386 comments with sentiment.
Cluster Engagement
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VIEWS109.6KBOOKMARKS116LIKES664REPLIES96
Vinod Khosla@vkhosla
The stupidity of these @Stanford students to take the greatest opportunity for equality in humanity ever and to really free humanity and go walk out on @google and @sundarpichai that's pioneered that. Biased, idiotic, short-sighted and very selfish. Selfish because they ignored the bottom 3 billion people on this planet that could benefit from AI and they are worried about their misinformed selfish self-interest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf74VXKTXZw
Matt Brown@maattttbrown
Stanford grads walk out as Google CEO Sundar Pichai takes the stage as commencement speaker. No mention of AI, unlike other uni speakers getting booed down this year. Story for @sfgate shortly
56mViews 109.6KLikes 664Bookmarks 116
RETWEETS145
Matt Brown@maattttbrown
Stanford grads walk out as Google CEO Sundar Pichai takes the stage as commencement speaker. No mention of AI, unlike other uni speakers getting booed down this year. Story for @sfgate shortly
5hViews 2.9MLikes 20KBookmarks 2.9K
Josh Wolfe@wolfejosh
Putin and CCP laugh
Google came from Stanford. Has employed more Stanford grads and created more wealth than most can imagine.
Matt Brown@maattttbrown
Stanford grads walk out as Google CEO Sundar Pichai takes the stage as commencement speaker. No mention of AI, unlike other uni speakers getting booed down this year. Story for @sfgate shortly
3hViews 50.2KLikes 504Bookmarks 36
Vinod Khosla@vkhosla
The stupidity of these @Stanford students to take the greatest opportunity for equality in humanity ever and to really free humanity and go walk out on @google and @sundarpichai that's pioneered that. Biased, idiotic, short-sighted and very selfish. Selfish because they ignored the bottom 3 billion people on this planet vs. the few million Palestinians who I also support. Get real! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf74VXKTXZw
39mViews 22.1KLikes 113Bookmarks 35
Jenny@jshakov
@maattttbrown @SFGate Total failure by Stanford admissions to choose these students over the tens of thousands of applicants who would not have been this entitled, hateful and disrespectful.
3hViews 23KLikes 350Bookmarks 6
Josh Wolfe@wolfejosh
lol. the kaffiyehs and Palestine flags.
Hateful Anti-American losers
Matt Brown@maattttbrown
Stanford grads walk out as Google CEO Sundar Pichai takes the stage as commencement speaker. No mention of AI, unlike other uni speakers getting booed down this year. Story for @sfgate shortly
3hViews 15.9KLikes 273Bookmarks 7
Rad Dog@The_Rad_Dawg
@maattttbrown @SFGate this is what happens when you stop requiring standardized test scores & prioritize diversity over intelligence 😂 can we put a stop to this failed experiment plz
3hViews 15KLikes 237Bookmarks 2
Gianmatteo Costanza@emissionite
@maattttbrown @SFGate Stanford no longer seems to be producing elite graduates.
3hViews 4.7KLikes 95Bookmarks 1
Rev. Dr. Ashanti Van Buren+@AshantiVanBuren
@maattttbrown @SFGate Wow. All these racists who can’t stand to see a successful Indian immigrant.
3hViews 5.3KLikes 63Bookmarks 2
FredA1776@A1776Fred
@maattttbrown @TonyBrunoShow @SFGate Bunch of ingrates. Next they’ll want us to pay for their student loans.
3hViews 9.7KLikes 63
Brad Spahn@BradSpahn
@maattttbrown @SFGate As you might imagine from the Palestine flags, this was to protest Palestine rather than AI.
3hViews 14.1KLikes 49Bookmarks 2
Kane 謝凱堯@kane
The “no standardized test” Stanford cohort
Matt Brown@maattttbrown
Stanford grads walk out as Google CEO Sundar Pichai takes the stage as commencement speaker. No mention of AI, unlike other uni speakers getting booed down this year. Story for @sfgate shortly
2hViews 16.7KLikes 651Bookmarks 9
Houman David Hemmati, MD, PhD@houmanhemmati
@kane Good luck ever getting a dime of $ from me as an alum!
58mViews 525Likes 41
CM@Creative_Math_
@jshakov @maattttbrown @SFGate “Total failure that institutions searching for people most likely to disrupt and bring about change pick people that disrupt and are trying to bring about change!!!”
3hViews 1.2KLikes 35Bookmarks 2
Marcos Galperin@marcos_galperin
@maattttbrown @SFGate Most of them probably should have never been accepted to Stanford in the first place.
46mViews 1.2KLikes 42Bookmarks 1
Sarah Adams@sarahadams
@maattttbrown @SFGate They walked out to back Hamas, let them keep walking
2hViews 811Likes 30
Jake@JakeKAllDay
@maattttbrown @SFGate @grok why are they walking out
3hViews 427Likes 3Bookmarks 3
Olivia Moore@omooretweets
I know Gemini 3 is getting mixed reviews but this feels like an overreaction
Matt Brown@maattttbrown
Stanford grads walk out as Google CEO Sundar Pichai takes the stage as commencement speaker. No mention of AI, unlike other uni speakers getting booed down this year. Story for @sfgate shortly
15mViews 925Likes 13Bookmarks 3
Dr Ransom@DrRansom1
@maattttbrown @SFGate I thought it was protesting Indian CEOs but alas
3hViews 3.5KLikes 11Bookmarks 2
Rogu@RomanGuy20
@maattttbrown @SFGate Well, a minority of Stanford grads walk out to be specific.
3hViews 7.1KLikes 26Bookmarks 1
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