Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was booed during his commencement speech at the University of Arizona’s graduation on Saturday after sexual abuse allegations from his ex-girlfriend. Student groups at the university distributed fliers urging students to “turn their backs to the stage” or “boo” during the former executive’s speech. The fliers stated that they wanted to “make it clear that the University of Arizona and greater community that we represent, whether from Tucson or beyond, do not support abusers being platformed.” Schmidt was accused by Michelle Ritter in a 2021 lawsuit of “forcibly raping” her during a trip off the coast of Mexico and later initiating sex without her consent in 2023 during the annual Burning Man festival. Schmidt, who has denied the allegations, was also booed multiple times while addressing AI. “I know what many of you are feeling about that. I can hear you. There is a fear,” Schmidt said to a cacophony of jeers. “The question is not whether AI will shape the world. It will. The question is whether you will have shaped artificial intelligence,” he said.
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