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Around 200 Stanford students walk out as Google CEO takes stage

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Re: Around 200 Stanford students walk out as Google CEO takes stage

#31
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're still trying to shame the shameless in 2026 then you missed the past decade IMO. The likes of Pichai can afford to ignore the 10% that walked out, frankly they can afford to ignore far more than that and have to great success. The idea that symbolic actions by a small number of students represents something other than entertainment for those students and hope-porn for their elders doesn't stand up to scruti…

> likes of Pichai can afford to ignore the 10% that walked out Of course he can. But he’s still choosing to speak at a commencement. Why?

For the other 90%? For his own personal reasons? It’s almost impossible to guess.

Re: Around 200 Stanford students walk out as Google CEO takes stage

#32

This is an effective form of protest. It causes someone who is clearly courting public affection to see they won't get it. It doesn't interrupt the speech for others who want to hear. But it's also not going to be missed by anyone at the assembly. Moreover, it communicates to the administration–who are also courting donations and prestige–that this gets more difficult when there is a massive gap on an issue students…

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Re: Around 200 Stanford students walk out as Google CEO takes stage

#33
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're still trying to shame the shameless in 2026 then you missed the past decade IMO. The likes of Pichai can afford to ignore the 10% that walked out, frankly they can afford to ignore far more than that and have to great success. The idea that symbolic actions by a small number of students represents something other than entertainment for those students and hope-porn for their elders doesn't stand up to scruti…

> likes of Pichai can afford to ignore the 10% that walked out Of course he can. But he’s still choosing to speak at a commencement. Why?

If you stand in front of a room full of people, about to give a speech, you already know that you aren't going to reach 100% of the people present. Moving the floor to 90% hardly matters at all, and the fact that the minority wasn't able to mobilize the majority would be my takeaway.

Beyond that why do any of these guys give speeches? They do it to raise their profile, to polish their ego, to promote recruitment or their ideals, and of course because they genuinely believe they have something to offer.

Re: Around 200 Stanford students walk out as Google CEO takes stage

#35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> likes of Pichai can afford to ignore the 10% that walked out Of course he can. But he’s still choosing to speak at a commencement. Why?

For the other 90%? For his own personal reasons? It’s almost impossible to guess.

> For the other 90%?

If it’s this, the protest had no effect on him.

> For his own personal reasons?

I’m guessing this plays a bigger part than comments here give credit for. Pichai isn’t pitching anyone on anything of consequence to him at this commencement. He is, broadly speaking, flattering his ego.

Re: Around 200 Stanford students walk out as Google CEO takes stage

#36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the other 90%? For his own personal reasons? It’s almost impossible to guess.

> For the other 90%? If it’s this, the protest had no effect on him. > For his own personal reasons? I’m guessing this plays a bigger part than comments here give credit for. Pichai isn’t pitching anyone on anything of consequence to him at this commencement. He is, broadly speaking, flattering his ego.

We should know, being that we do the same thing each time we post a comment on this site.

Re: Around 200 Stanford students walk out as Google CEO takes stage

#39

This is an effective form of protest. It causes someone who is clearly courting public affection to see they won't get it. It doesn't interrupt the speech for others who want to hear. But it's also not going to be missed by anyone at the assembly. Moreover, it communicates to the administration–who are also courting donations and prestige–that this gets more difficult when there is a massive gap on an issue students…

It's more like happening. Effective would be to abandon using services of company that I don't agree with. Which most of protesters probably don't. It's like going by diesel car to protest against oil production.

Re: Around 200 Stanford students walk out as Google CEO takes stage

#40

This is an effective form of protest. It causes someone who is clearly courting public affection to see they won't get it. It doesn't interrupt the speech for others who want to hear. But it's also not going to be missed by anyone at the assembly. Moreover, it communicates to the administration–who are also courting donations and prestige–that this gets more difficult when there is a massive gap on an issue students…

> This is an effective form of protest.

No, it wasn't. I don't think 200 students is a significant proportion of audience. (BTW, bad reporting for not giving a % estimate.) This is a gross lack of solidarity. If this was to happen in Europe 50 years ago, 90% of students would walk out.

> It causes someone who is clearly courting public affection to see they won't get it.

It didn't even make him feel bad. (BTW, bad reporting again for not saying how many people applauded him at the end.)

> It doesn't interrupt the speech for others who want to hear.

Oh, yes they did. They blew whistles. Read the article.

> Moreover, it communicates to the administration–who are also courting donations and prestige–that this gets more difficult when there is a massive gap on an issue students care about between them and leadership.

Apparently they cared about Palestine. I get it that Google supported Israel, but what does the administration has to do with any of it?

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