Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and a Stanford alumnus, delivered a commencement address at Stanford University on June 14, 2026, where he notably refrained from discussing artificial intelligence (AI), a topic that has caused unrest among graduates in previous ceremonies. While many speakers faced booing for mentioning AI and its impact on job markets, Pichai focused on personal anecdotes about his life experiences, such as his immigration to California and early challenges at Google. Despite a walkout by around 200 students protesting his company's ties with Israel over a controversial cloud-computing deal, Pichai's speech generally received applause for its emphasis on accessibility and technology’s positive impact on lives.

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Google CEO Sundar Pichai passes on artificial intelligence in Stanford commencement address

By Matthew Brown, Tech ReporterJune 14, 2026

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Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet and a Stanford alumnus, delivers the commencement address during Stanford University's graduation ceremony in Palo Alto, Calif., on June 14, 2026.

Lizzy Myers/For SFGATE

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For college commencement speakers this year, mentioning how artificial intelligence is changing the job market or the world in general has been a surefire way to get booed. So when Google CEO Sundar Pichai took Stanford University’s graduation stage Sunday morning as the keynote speaker, it was notable he didn’t mention AI at all.

Though the booming technology may seem like a natural fit for graduates of the prestigious university located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Pichai instead spoke about his own life experience. Still, the soft-spoken chief executive didn't completely escape some backlash.

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Around 200 students walked out as Pichai took the stage, and smaller groups in the audience waved banners, blew whistles and waved Palestinian flags before also leaving mid-speech. Pro-Palestinian protesters condemned the company’s ties with the Israeli government, particularly its controversial $1.2 billion cloud-computing deal with the country in 2021, known as Project Nimbus. The walkouts follow other Stanford commencements over the last three years where students have demonstrated in response to Israel’s war in Gaza and the university’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus.

Stanford graduates walk out in protest during the commencement address by Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, in Palo Alto, Calif. on June 14, 2026.

Lizzy Myers/For SFGATE

For at least the second year in a row, students walking out on Pichai hosted their own “People’s Commencement.” This year’s event featured activist Mahmoud Khalil as its keynote speaker. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested and detained Khalil for more than 100 days last year, threatening his deportation over his pro-Palestinian activism on Columbia University’s campus in 2024.

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After the demonstrations quieted down, Pichai was largely well-received. Stories of his own failures and triumphs from his earlier years, like immigrating to California, dropping his doctorate in favor of a master's degree, and struggles when he started at Google were greeted with scattered laughter and applause.

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One of Pichai’s predecessors, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, wasn’t received as warmly when he spoke at the University of Arizona commencement last month. Graduates booed when Schmidt said that “AI is going to touch everything,” even "if you don't care about science."

In a recent New York Times “Hard Fork” appearance, interviewers asked Pichai what his “boo strategy” would be in light of Schmidt’s snafu. But Pichai took themes of technological advancement in a different route, focusing more broadly on accessibility, including an anecdote about rural women in India using smartphones to learn new trades.

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“Seeing computing change people’s lives as it had changed mine was the most exciting thing in the world to me,” Pichai said.

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June 14, 2026

Matthew Brown

Tech Reporter

Matthew Brown is a tech reporter for SFGATE. Previously, he was an investigative reporter at Open Vallejo covering police misconduct, corruption in local government and public safety. He was also selected as a 2026 California Health Equity fellow through the USC Center for Health Journalism. When he’s not poring over public records, you can find him hiking and camping around California.

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Google CEO Sundar Pichai passes on AI in Stanford grad speech

Google CEO Sundar Pichai passes on artificial intelligence in Stanford commencement address

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