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Sundar Pichai faces boos, walkout at Stanford graduation ceremony over Google’s Israel, ICE ties

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Over the weekend, Google CEO Sundar Pichai faced a small revolt when he delivered his commencement speech at Stanford University, where he earned his graduate degree in materials science and engineering. About 200 students from the graduating class reportedly walked out, while others loudly booed the tech executive.

The focus of the protest was Google’s defense ties — including Project Nimbus, the controversial $1.2 billion contract, shared with Amazon, to provide cloud and AI services to the Israeli military, as well as its relationship with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

Student signs included phrases like “ICE SPIES WITH GOOGLE AI” and “GENOCIDE RUNS ON GOOGLE,” as well as “FREE FREE PALESTINE,” a press release associated with the protest notes. Students also waved Palestinian flags and shouted “free Palestine,” online video of the protest shows.

“We are walking out because we refuse to glorify the corporations that fuel this violence and exercise our power to choose differently,” a statement associated with the protest reads.

The walkout was organized by a number of campus activist groups, including Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine, No Tech for Apartheid, and Tech for Liberation. TechCrunch reached out to Google for comment.

As the war in Gaza has raged, Google’s participation in Nimbus has drawn protests from both inside and outside of the company. In 2024, Google fired 28 workers for protesting the contract, although it has continued to suffer internal dissent over the issue since then. It was also recently criticized by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which accused it and other companies of “choosing to look the other way” on Israel’s use of their services.

Project Nimbus also enjoys support from Amazon. Microsoft has also been criticized for its support of the Israeli military, although the company restricted the Israeli government’s use of its technology after an investigation found that its cloud services were being used to mass-surveil Palestinians.

The student protest also drew criticism from business leaders online. Vinod Khosla, the billionaire co-founder of Sun Microsystems and one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent venture capitalists, posted on X that the protest was “biased, idiotic, short-sighted and very selfish,” adding that it was selfish because the students “ignored the bottom 3 billion people on this planet that could benefit from AI and they are worried about their misinformed selfish self-interest.”

Pichai’s appearance at Stanford is part of a broader pattern. Speakers at college graduation ceremonies around the country have faced boos when they have attempted to get outgoing college students excited about AI. But rarely has student animus been as targeted as it was with Pichai, directed not at AI hype, but at the specific business decisions made by the company he leads. In general, young people seem to believe that AI is threatening their employment opportunities and may be ruining other parts of society as well.

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JAMB Restores CAPS, Sets Admission Deadlines for 2026/2027 Exercise

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BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR—-The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, (JAMB), on Monday announced to inform candidates, institutions and other stakeholders that the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) has been fully restored and is now operational, following the temporary disruption.

A statement posted via its official X account  today added that with CAPS back online, institutions are urged to accelerate their admission processes to recover lost time and meet the agreed admission deadlines. Candidates are also advised to promptly accept admission offers made to them.

The statement added that key deadlines for the 2026/2027 admission exercise:Public Universities: 31 October 2026; Private Universities: 30 November 2026 and Other Tertiary Institutions: 31 December 2026.

The board went further to advised candidates who previously awaited their results to upload and/or verify them promptly to ensure their credentials are available for consideration as institutions intensify their admission processes.

JAMB, also apologised for the inconvenience caused by the temporary disruption and appreciates the patience and understanding of all stakeholders.

The post JAMB Restores CAPS, Sets Admission Deadlines for 2026/2027 Exercise appeared first on Business Today NG.

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Supreme Court deepens digital transformation drive with Galaxy Backbone – Technology Times

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The Supreme Court of Nigeria is strengthening its digital transformation agenda through an engagement with Galaxy Backbone Limited focused on cloud service management, digital risk and the infrastructure required to support secure digital operations.

The engagement brought members of the Supreme Court management team together for executive training on managing cloud services and mitigating risks associated with the growing use of digital technology across institutional operations.

The programme also included a tour of Galaxy Backbone’s data centre and other operational facilities, giving the Supreme Court management team an opportunity to gain practical insight into the infrastructure supporting digital services, according to a statement by Galaxy Backbone.

The engagement reflects the growing importance of technology management within Nigeria’s public institutions as government organisations increasingly rely on digital platforms, data, connectivity and cloud-based systems to support their operations.

Cloud computing allows organisations to access computing, storage and other technology resources without depending entirely on infrastructure located within their own offices. However, the shift to cloud-based systems also creates operational and security considerations, including data protection, access management, service availability, cybersecurity and business continuity.

These considerations are particularly important for public institutions that manage sensitive information and provide services that depend on reliable digital systems. For the Supreme Court, the management of technology risks is therefore becoming an important component of its broader digital transformation efforts.

The training hosted by Galaxy Backbone focused on helping senior managers understand the opportunities and risks associated with cloud services. Rather than treating technology adoption as purely a technical matter, the programme highlighted the role of executive decision-making in ensuring that digital systems are properly governed and managed.

Effective digital transformation requires institutions to understand not only what technology can deliver but also how digital services are operated, secured and maintained. This includes identifying potential vulnerabilities, establishing appropriate controls and ensuring that services can remain available when technical or operational disruptions occur.

The infrastructure tour added a practical dimension to the executive training. The Supreme Court team visited Galaxy Backbone’s data centre and other facilities to see how the physical infrastructure supports digital services.

Data centres provide the computing, storage, networking, power and security infrastructure required to operate modern digital systems. Their role becomes increasingly important as organisations move more administrative activities and information services into digitally enabled environments.

The visit therefore provided an opportunity for the Supreme Court management team to connect the broader concepts discussed during the training with the physical infrastructure on which digital services depend.

The engagement also highlights the importance of executive capacity in public-sector digital transformation. Technology systems can only deliver sustainable value when the people responsible for institutional decisions understand their operational requirements and associated risks.

For senior managers, this means having sufficient knowledge to evaluate technology investments, understand service-management arrangements, assess security considerations and make informed decisions about the continuity of critical digital services.

For the judiciary, these issues have wider institutional significance as technology becomes increasingly relevant to administrative and operational activities. Greater reliance on digital systems creates corresponding requirements for reliability, security, access control, data protection and continuity.

The engagement with Galaxy Backbone therefore goes beyond a conventional technology training session. It represents part of the wider process of preparing public institutions to manage the organisational and operational implications of digital transformation.

Galaxy Backbone’s involvement also underscores the importance of local digital infrastructure in supporting Nigeria’s public-sector technology ecosystem. As a provider of digital infrastructure and related services, the company’s facilities offer an environment in which public-sector decision makers can gain greater understanding of the infrastructure supporting digital services.

The collaboration comes at a time when Nigerian public institutions are increasingly seeking to modernise their operations through technology. Digital platforms can support administrative efficiency, information management, communication and service delivery, but their effectiveness depends on reliable infrastructure and appropriate governance.

This means that digital transformation cannot be measured only by the number of platforms or systems introduced by an institution. It also depends on whether those systems are secure, resilient, properly managed and aligned with institutional objectives.

The Supreme Court’s focus on cloud management and digital risk reflects this broader requirement. As digital services expand, institutions need to consider technology adoption alongside cybersecurity, operational resilience and the capacity of management teams to oversee increasingly complex digital environments.

The executive training and infrastructure tour provided the Supreme Court management team with both strategic and practical perspectives on these issues. The combination of knowledge development and exposure to operational infrastructure can help senior decision makers better understand the technology environment supporting their institutions.

For the Supreme Court, the engagement forms part of a continuing conversation about how technology can support a more digitally enabled judiciary while ensuring that the systems underpinning institutional operations remain secure and reliable.

As Nigeria’s public sector continues its digital transition, the experience also points to a wider lesson: successful digital transformation requires investment not only in technology and infrastructure but also in the people, governance frameworks and risk-management capabilities needed to operate them effectively.

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