Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt faces boos at University of Arizona; video viral
The backlash was linked to sexual abuse allegations made by Eric Schmidt’s former girlfriend, Michelle Ritter.
Eric Schmidt was speaking about AI and automation Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt was criticised and met with loud boos from students during the University of Arizona commencement ceremony on May 16.
The backlash was linked to sexual abuse allegations made by Schmidt’s former girlfriend, Michelle Ritter. The 71-year-old tech billionaire was speaking about artificial intelligence (AI) and automation when sections of the crowd began booing, as reported by Business Insider.
A video of the incident has gone viral across all social media platforms. Sharing the video, an X handle, Power of the People, wrote, “The kids are alright!! Former CEO of Google Eric Schmidt gets booed every time he mentions artificial intelligence during his commencement speech at the University of Arizona. This generation just may save humanity after all.”
Watch here:
The kids are alright!!
Former CEO of Google Eric Schmidt gets booed every time he mentions artificial intelligence during his commencement speech at the University of Arizona.
This generation just may save humanity after all. pic.twitter.com/L8wbujGnk8
— Power to the People ☭🕊 (@ProudSocialist) May 16, 2026
Several users reacted to the incident, with one saying, “It’s always the boomers who aren’t going to have to live through the affects of AI.” Another user commented, “Because the thing new graduates want to be reminded of at their ceremony is that Ai is taking our jobs, destroying our home, and costing us insane amounts of money and energy. I hate it here.”
The backlash followed allegations made in a lawsuit filed by Ritter, a 32-year-old entrepreneur who was also his former business associate.
Ritter filed a lawsuit in November, alleging that Schmidt “forcibly raped” her aboard a yacht near Mexico in 2021. She also accused him of engaging in non-consensual sexual activity during the Burning Man festival in Nevada in 2023, according to court filings.
The lawsuit further alleged that Schmidt used a “backdoor” created with the help of Google engineers to gain access to Ritter’s devices and monitor her activity. She also claimed the alleged digital surveillance, along with the use of private investigators, amounted to sexual harassment.
As reported by The Los Angeles Times, a judge in Los Angeles referred the lawsuit to arbitration in March. Ritter argued that a 2022 federal law, introduced after the #MeToo movement, entitled her to pursue the matter publicly in court.
However, Schmidt denied all allegations made against him. He has spoken about being in an open marriage.
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