Recruiters from a defense technology firm Anduril cut short a scheduled career talk at Cornell University, ending the event just minutes after it began when a group of student protestors demanded cancellation. The disruption highlighted rising tensions on college campuses around engagement with defense companies and free speech policy enforcement.
The talk was organized by Cornell’s career center to introduce Anduril’s work in defense technology and recruiting opportunities. The session was supposed to last two hours, including a question-and-answer period with students. Instead, the presentation lasted roughly seven to eight minutes before recruiters ended the event under pressure from protestors.
Student activist groups, including Students for Justice in Palestine at Cornell, urged the university to cancel the talk for more than a week before the event. Protesters claim Anduril’s technology and contracts with U.S. agencies contribute to harm against migrants and conflict zones, including surveillance systems along the southern border. They circulated fliers and displayed signs criticizing the company’s relationship with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and alleged military involvement abroad.
Before the disruption, Cornell administrators reiterated the school’s policies on expressive activity and free speech. Associate Dean Christine Nye informed attendees that invited speakers have the right to speak and that dissenting opinions must be expressed without impeding the presenter’s ability to deliver remarks. Despite this, protestors raised anti-ICE signage and some vocally challenged the presenters as soon as the brief overview concluded.
Anduril’s presentation reportedly consisted of a short, six-slide outline of its mission, hiring process, and internship opportunities before protesters intensified their demonstration. After the interruption, recruiters departed without taking any student questions.
Student groups involved in the protest framed their actions as peaceful but assertive resistance to what they view as the university’s complicity in supporting companies tied to controversial defense and immigration enforcement technologies. Their social media posts encouraged other defense industry recruiters to anticipate similar pushback on campus.
The incident underscores broader campus activism trends that have targeted defense and government-affiliated employers in recent years, with student protests sometimes disrupting career fairs and recruitment opportunities. Universities have grappled with balancing free speech rights with open access for employers, particularly those tied to national defense or controversial public policy roles.
