Stanford Students Walk Out on Google CEO's Commencement Speech
Original: ‘It’s a Modern-Day Draft’: Why Stanford Students Walked Out on Sundar Pichai’s Commencement Speech
Why This Matters
Student opposition to Big Tech's government contracts signals growing institutional distrust among the next generation of tech workers.
In June 2026, over 100 Stanford University graduates walked out during Google CEO Sundar Pichai's commencement address to protest Google's contracts with the U.S. and Israeli governments and ICE. Organizers Amanda Campos and Eva Jones spoke with WIRED about their motivations and goals.
At Stanford University's 2026 graduation ceremony, more than 100 students walked out during Google CEO Sundar Pichai's commencement speech. The protest, organized by students including Amanda Campos and Eva Jones, targeted Google's military and government contracts — specifically deals with the U.S. government, the Israeli government, and ICE — rather than AI technology specifically, though AI remained a peripheral concern. Notably, Pichai did not explicitly mention AI in his address. The walkout drew international media coverage from outlets including CNN and the BBC, and videos of the demonstration accumulated millions of views online. The action reflects broader generational anxiety about Big Tech: a recent Gallup poll found only 22% of Gen Z respondents expressed excitement about AI, while 42% reported anxiety about the technology. Campos, who studied environmental policy at Stanford, said she became an organizer after recognizing fossil fuel influence on campus. Jones and Campos traveled to New York to speak with WIRED about how the coordinated protest was planned and what they hoped to achieve. The walkout organizers acknowledged they had not convinced Google to alter its contracts but said their goal was to raise public awareness.