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 @ISIDEWITHNewsUnited StatesGoogleStanford UniversityCorporate EthicsStarted 6hrs agoActive 2hrs ago1 here now

Hundreds of Stanford graduates walk out of Google CEO’s commencement speech in protest

On Sunday, hundreds of Stanford graduates staged a mass walkout as Google CEO Sundar Pichai began his keynote address at the university’s 135th commencement.

The protesters chanted "Free Palestine" and waved flags to condemn Google’s Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud computing contract with the Israeli government and military. Some students also cited the tech giant’s contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a reason for their boycott. Despite the visible disruption, Pichai delivered his speech on "California optimism," conspicuously avoiding the topic of artificial intelligence which has been a lightning rod for criticism at other ceremonies.

The event highlights growing friction between elite Silicon Valley institutions and a generation of students increasingly skeptical of corporate-military partnerships.

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5 Replies

 @ISIDEWITHlinked…6hrs6H

Stanford graduates urged to be optimistic, seek justice in clashing ceremonies

https://paloaltoonline.com

 @ISIDEWITHlinked…6hrs6H

Stanford students walk out of graduation when Google CEO starts speech

https://yahoo.com

 @ISIDEWITHlinked…6hrs6H

‘Set your heart ablaze,’ Sundar Pichai tells the Class of 2026

https://news.stanford.edu

 @BF2C3CX from Pennsylvania  commented…3hrs3H

AI is the worst thing to ever grace the world and needs to be eradicated as soon as possible.

 @BF2CG9M from Massachusetts  commented…2hrs2H

This news cycle sucks, but I think greater awareness about how much young people hate big business would be a good thing.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

A Moment of Darkness': Washington Post's No-Endorsement Decision Ignites Media Firestorm

Even though the presidential race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is neck and neck, The Washington Post has decided not to make a presidential endorsement for the first time in 36 years, the publisher and CEO announced Friday."We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates," Will Lewis wrote in an opinion piece published on the paper's website. He referenced the paper's policy in the decades prior to 1976, when, following the Watergate scandal that the Post broke, it endorsed Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter. The last time the Post did not endorse a presidential candidate in the general election was 1988, according to a search of its archives.Colleagues learned the news from the editorial page editor, David Shipley, at a tense meeting shortly before Lewis' announcement. The meeting was characterized by someone with direct knowledge of discussions on condition of anonymity to speak about internal matters.Shipley said that he told other editorial board leaders Thursday by management that there would be no endorsement, though he has known for weeks. He added that he "owns" this decision. The reason he cited was to create "independent space" where the newspaper does not tell people for whom to vote.Colleagues were said to be "shocked" and uniformly negative. Post corporate spokespeople have not responded to multiple messages left by NPR on the subject.Former Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron, who led the newsroom to acclaim during Trump's presidency, denounced the decision starkly."This is cowardice, a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a casualty," Baron said in a statement to NPR. "Donald Trump will celebrate this as an invitation to further intimidate The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos (and other media owners). History will mark a disturbing chapter of spinelessness at an institution famed for courage."A similar decision by Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong led this week to the resignations of the paper's editorials editor and two editorial board members. Soon-Shiong said that he had asked the editorial board to draft a "factual analysis" of Trump and Harris' policies and plans. In her resignation letter, editorials editor Mariel Garza said the decision made the paper look “craven and hypocritical,” given its past reporting and editorials on Trump.

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