Pro

A screenshot from the video footage recorded from inside the conference hall shows multiple protesters carrying Palestinian flags with text reading "Free Palestine" as they confronted conference organizers and attendees. (Image credit: Sumer Mobarak)

Pro-Palestinian activists disrupt former Google CEO tech summit

Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.

A technology summit featuring former Google CEO and Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt was interrupted by pro-Palestinian activists protesting his involvement in military artificial intelligence, surveillance technologies, and defense contracts involved in 'Israel's' genocide in Gaza.

During a panel session hosted by the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) -a tech-focused initiative chaired by Schmidt- activists stood up inside the venue hall holding large Palestinian flags and shouting slogans directly at the stage.

Demonstrators chanted "No tech for genocide" and "Google and AI profit off of killing innocent lives," while security personnel in red jackets moved in to usher them off the floor and out of the auditorium.

Video footage recorded from inside the conference hall shows multiple protesters carrying Palestinian flags with text reading "Free Palestine" as they confronted conference organizers and attendees.

"Shame on you! You are killing people in Palestine! No tech for genocide!" one activist shouted as event security intervened.

The demonstration targets Schmidt's extensive investments in defense tech startups, autonomous weapons systems, and military AI.

Protesters highlighted his role in shaping tech-defense partnerships during his tenure at Google, where he laid the groundwork for major cloud infrastructure deals like Project Nimbus, the $1.2 billion joint contract between Google, Amazon, and the 'Israeli' government and military.

Neither Schmidt nor event representatives issued an immediate statement regarding the disruption as security cleared the room to allow the summit programming to resume.