Tech CEOs Concerned With Trump's Executive Order

Posted by Kirhat | Wednesday, February 01, 2017 | | 0 comments »

Trump and Apple
The executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump affecting migrants was hailed by many Americans, but there was one small group that expressed their concern - the tech industry.

The Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and their tech executives, who largely hail from the Silicon Valley area, not only view the travel ban on immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries as bordering on being discriminatory, but thought that it may be detrimental to economic and technological growth, as well as their staffing needs.

Report from David Caplan of Good Morning America quoted the following titans of industry on why the orer is not sitting well with them:

Tim Cook, APPLE
"Apple would not exist without immigration, let alone thrive and innovate the way we do," Apple CEO Time Cook wrote in an email to staff. "I've heard from many of you who are deeply concerned about the executive order issued yesterday restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. I share your concerns. It is not a policy we support ... In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, 'We may have all come on different ships, but we are in the same boat now.'"

And Cook apparently has no qualms expressing his opposition to the ban to President Trump, writing, "We have reached out to the White House to explain the negative effect on our coworkers and our company."

Cook also addressed how the travel ban is directly affecting the Cupertino, California, company's employees, writing, "There are employees at Apple who are directly affected by yesterday's immigration order. Our HR, Legal and Security teams are in contact with them, and Apple will do everything we can to support them."

Mark Zuckerberg, FACEBOOK
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page on Friday, "I'm concerned about the impact of the recent executive orders signed by President Trump. We need to keep this country safe, but we should do that by focusing on people who actually pose a threat. Expanding the focus of law enforcement beyond people who are real threats would make all Americans less safe by diverting resources, while millions of undocumented folks who don't pose a threat will live in fear of deportation."

Sundar Pichai, GOOGLE
Like Apple's Cook, Google CEO Sundar Pichai also addressed the impact of the ban on his employees.

"We're upset about the impact of this order and any proposals that could impose restrictions on Googlers and their families, or that could create barriers to bringing great talent to the US," Mr. Pichai said in an email to employees, obtained by The Wall Street Journal. "It’s painful to see the personal cost of this executive order on our colleagues."

Satya Nadella, MICROSOFT
Microsoft's Indian-born CEO, Satya Nadella, addressed his own background in a Linkedin post.

"As an immigrant and as a CEO, I’ve both experienced and seen the positive impact that immigration has on our company, for the country, and for the world," he wrote. "We will continue to advocate on this important topic."

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