Arizona students drown out the billionaire as he cheers machines reshaping everything…
Commencement speech turns hostile when he admits fears are rational then demands they adapt anyway…
Tech elite clueless on entry level carnage while pushing the revolution that screws new grads…
Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt booed after AI remarks at Arizona commencement
A former Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, was met with students’ boos at a university commencement address in Arizona on Sunday when he raised the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) and its effects.
Schmidt – who led the tech giant for more than a decade, acquiring a multibillion-dollar fortune in the process – was speaking to as many as 10,000 graduating University of Arizona students when he addressed the impact of modern technology on society.
The topic struck a nerve of anxiety within the student body when he traced technology’s evolution, through the laptop – which he said had “democratized knowledge” and led to prosperity – to the smartphone, the internet and social media.
“We thought that we were adding stones to a cathedral of knowledge that humanity had been constructing for centuries, but the world we built turned out to be more complicated than we anticipated,” Schmidt said.
“The same tools that connect us also isolate us. The same platforms that gave everyone a voice – like you’re using now – degraded the public square,” he added, referring to the polarization within democracies.
Right now the only thing people are hearing is:
1. It will take all your jobs.
2. It will take all your electricity and water.
3. Industry insiders give it a 20% chance of going super agi and killing everyone.
Then you guys wonder why people opposed data centers. pic.twitter.com/mrbPmj1b6s
— mtw ⏸️ (@mtw88888) May 18, 2026