Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt booed at Arizona commencement over AI, sex harassment claims
Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt booed at Arizona commencement over AI, sex harassment claims
Publish Date: 2026-05-17 09:33:00
Source Domain: nypost.com
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was roundly booed by students at the University of Arizona’s graduation Saturday — following backlash over his selection as commencement speaker over sex abuse allegations from his much-younger ex girlfriend.
Tech billionaire Schmidt, 71, was discussing artificial intelligence and automation when students began jeering him, Business Insider reported.
However, he had been expecting a hostile reception regardless of what he said following allegations of rape and sexual harassment made in a lawsuit by ex Michelle Ritter.
Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt was booed during his commencement speech at the University of Arizona’s graduation Saturday. Instagram/Students for Socialism at UA
Schmidt’s selection as speaker was hit with backlash as he deals with sex abuse allegations from his much-younger ex-girlfriend. Instagram/Students for Socialism at UA
Multiple left-wing and feminist student groups handed out flyers at Friday night’s commencement detailing the allegations made against Schmidt by 32-year-old tech entrepreneur Ritter, who was Schmidt’s lover and business partner.
Students were urged to “turn their backs to the stage” when Schmidt came on, “and/or boo 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,” reported the Arizona Daily Star.
Ritter filed a lawsuit in November alleging that Schmidt “forcibly raped” her on a yacht off the coast of Mexico in 2021.
She also claimed he initiated sex without her consent during 2023’s Burning Man festival in Nevada, according to court documents.
Ritter further alleged that Schmidt spied on her via a “backdoor” to Google’s servers that he built with a team of company engineers, according to the lawsuit.
She argued that the alleged digital surveillance of her electronic devices and surveillance by private…
