Google CEO Sundar Pichai is used to speaking before large audiences. But his recent appearance at Stanford University's graduation ceremony turned uncomfortable when a group of students stood up and walked out while he was delivering his keynote address. The protest was linked to concerns about technology companies and their external partnerships. According to a post shared by the BreakThrough News handle, groups including Students for Justice in Palestine and No Tech for Apartheid organised the walkout. The protesters were objecting to Google's reported contracts with the Israeli Defence Forces, the US Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The moment quickly spread online and soon caught the attention of entrepreneur and investor Vinod Khosla, who did not hold back.
Reacting to the walkout, Khosla called the students "biased, idiotic, short-sighted and very selfish." According to him, the protesters were ignoring the transformative potential of artificial intelligence for billions of people around the world.
"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 Sundar Pichai 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," Khosla wrote on X.
Khosla's remarks quickly became a talking point online, drawing both criticism and support.
Many users disagreed with Khosla's view.
One user argued that even leading AI executives have warned about the disruptive impact of AI on jobs and questioned the idea that the technology would automatically improve the lives of the world's poorest populations.
Another user criticised Khosla for dismissing the students' right to protest, writing that AI would not solve global inequality but instead help powerful people accumulate even more wealth.
Some users were sceptical of the broader promise of technology itself. One comment noted that humanity has had the tools to address issues such as hunger, education and social infrastructure for decades, yet inequality persists.
At the same time, others defended Khosla and criticised the protesters.
Some argued that the students were being influenced by politics and were ignoring the benefits of technological progress.
Others said the protest oversimplified a complex geopolitical issue and failed to consider its historical context.
Interestingly, Pichai himself avoided discussing artificial intelligence in detail during his speech. At a time when AI has become a central theme at graduation ceremonies across the US, often drawing strong reactions from students, the Google CEO focused instead on personal advice and broader guidance for graduates entering the workforce.
Yet, despite avoiding the subject, AI ended up dominating the conversation anyway.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai is used to speaking before large audiences. But his recent appearance at Stanford University's graduation ceremony turned uncomfortable when a group of students stood up and walked out while he was delivering his keynote address. The protest was linked to concerns about technology companies and their external partnerships. According to a post shared by the BreakThrough News handle, groups including Students for Justice in Palestine and No Tech for Apartheid organised the walkout. The protesters were objecting to Google's reported contracts with the Israeli Defence Forces, the US Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The moment quickly spread online and soon caught the attention of entrepreneur and investor Vinod Khosla, who did not hold back.
Reacting to the walkout, Khosla called the students "biased, idiotic, short-sighted and very selfish." According to him, the protesters were ignoring the transformative potential of artificial intelligence for billions of people around the world.
"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 Sundar Pichai 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," Khosla wrote on X.
Khosla's remarks quickly became a talking point online, drawing both criticism and support.
Many users disagreed with Khosla's view.
One user argued that even leading AI executives have warned about the disruptive impact of AI on jobs and questioned the idea that the technology would automatically improve the lives of the world's poorest populations.
Another user criticised Khosla for dismissing the students' right to protest, writing that AI would not solve global inequality but instead help powerful people accumulate even more wealth.
Some users were sceptical of the broader promise of technology itself. One comment noted that humanity has had the tools to address issues such as hunger, education and social infrastructure for decades, yet inequality persists.
At the same time, others defended Khosla and criticised the protesters.
Some argued that the students were being influenced by politics and were ignoring the benefits of technological progress.
Others said the protest oversimplified a complex geopolitical issue and failed to consider its historical context.
Interestingly, Pichai himself avoided discussing artificial intelligence in detail during his speech. At a time when AI has become a central theme at graduation ceremonies across the US, often drawing strong reactions from students, the Google CEO focused instead on personal advice and broader guidance for graduates entering the workforce.
Yet, despite avoiding the subject, AI ended up dominating the conversation anyway.
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