New Delhi, June 16 -- Google CEO Sundar Pichai's appearance at Stanford University's graduation ceremony, where he earned a Master's degree in Materials Science and Engineering, was to address the Class of 2026 at the university's 135th commencement ceremony.

But even before his message fully unfolded, sections of the audience made their own statement. Reports said around 200 students walked out of the ceremony, while others booed, waved Palestinian flags, displayed banners, and chanted pro-Palestinian slogans.

The protests centred on Google's ties with the Israeli government through Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud computing and AI contract jointly undertaken with Amazon. Students also criticised Google's reported relationships wit...