Stanford University Sundar Pichai, who attended the convocation ceremony, had to face opposition. Project Nimbus is at the heart of it. This is a contract between the Israeli government and Google and Amazon which helps the Israeli government in military operations.
What happened at Stanford University?
Tech giant Sundar Pichai attends graduation ceremony at Stanford University. This is his former college. The atmosphere became worrying when a group of students walked out during Sundar Pichai’s speech. The students alleged that the situation in Gaza has worsened because of tech companies and their partnerships.
Opposition to Project Nimbus
According to a report in the New York Post, when Pichai began his speech at Stanford Stadium, more than 100 students reportedly got up from their seats and walked out, chanting ‘Free, Free Palestine’.
- According to the information, this protest is related to ‘Project Nimbus’.
- Project Nimbus is a $1.2 billion cloud computing and AI contract awarded by the Israeli government to Google and Amazon.
- Stanford’s ‘Students for Justice in Palestine’ group had announced a walkout some time ago. They allege that Project Nimbus helps the Israeli government’s military operations during the ongoing war in Gaza.
‘The last two letters of my name are also AI’
According to reports, Sundar Pichai avoided speaking in detail on the developments happening in AI and the tech industry in his speech.
He said that I know today is about giving advice to all of you, but people are also constantly advising me as to what I should say. He jokingly said that the last two letters of my surname Pichai are also ‘AI’. He told the students to always adopt optimism while starting their journey.
Technology sector affected by AI
The technology sector around the world has been affected by AI. CEOs of big companies have warned from different forums that many jobs may be affected in the future due to AI. According to reports, till April this year, more than 90 thousand people have lost their jobs in tech companies.
About the authorPrem TripathiPrem Tripathi is Assistant Editor at Times Online. He is leading the Tech-Auto team. He has been in journalism for 15 years covering the fields of technology, gadgets, artificial intelligence and defense tech. Prem has seen India’s smartphone market change from the dominance of Nokia to Samsung and Chinese companies to the growing popularity of Apple. He has seen that era of telecom journalism when 2GB data available on 2G and 3G mobile networks had to be used for the whole month. This is the reason why when readers have to give news about research being done on 5G network or 6G, their experience is clearly reflected in the news of love. He knows how to explain topics like ‘Satellite Internet’ and ‘Direct to Device Communication Technology’ in easy language. It’s been a long time since Prem has been writing gadget reviews. He has done in-depth reviews of everything from early Windows to Android smartphones and iPhones. From laptop-PC to smart TV and wearables have also been thoroughly tested and tested. Prem does detailed interviews of experts from the tech-telecom industry. He has been covering launch events on ground for many years. Covering the India Mobile Congress (IMC) since its first edition (2017), he has gained expertise in understanding the major changes happening in India’s technology industry. In recent years, Prem has strengthened his writings on the topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI). He uses AI tools and tells readers about them. Every major change taking place in the field of AI is explained to the readers in easy language. With the idea of how technology can make people’s lives easier, Prem also provides simple HowTo, Tips & Tricks to the readers of Times. He first tries and verifies any hack himself. He does the same practice with daily tech-gadget news also. By verifying news, cross checking facts, gathering additional inputs, research and adding statistics, he prepares any news in detail for his readers. Prem has great experience in print media and digital media. Before joining Times Online, he was working with the reputed tech-gadget website, Gadgets360 (NDTV Ventures) from November 2021 to January 2025. There he provided detailed coverage on gadgets, tech, AI, defense tech and science and wrote gadget reviews. Prem started his career with Hindustan Hindi in the year 2011. Served in Amar Ujala newspaper in 2013 and Times newspaper in 2017. He has worked in both reporting and desk. Covered ‘Kedarnath Disaster 2013’ for Amar Ujala. His book ‘Hai Gau’ was published by Amar Ujala Foundation. Prem Tripathi completed his Bachelor of Science (Bsc) from Kumaon University, Nainital in 2008. He holds a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Mass Communication from Makhanlal Chaturvedi University, Bhopal.… read more
