In the wake of a deadly ICE shooting in Minneapolis, several prominent researchers at major tech companies are speaking out against the Trump administration's immigration tactics. This growing dissent from employees, however, contrasts with the relative silence of their CEOs.
The killing of an unarmed US citizen by ICE agents has sparked widespread outrage and calls for action among some 150 tech workers who have signed a petition demanding that their company CEOs take a stand against ICE's violence and speak out against its recent actions. The list of signatories includes employees from companies such as Google, Meta, Amazon, OpenAI, TikTok, Spotify, Salesforce, LinkedIn, and Rippling.
While the petition is a notable development in the tech industry's response to sociopolitical crises, many have noted that it is unusual for tech leaders to take a stand on immigration issues. Historian Margaret O'Mara argues that business leaders often avoid taking a stance on political issues due to concerns about their bottom line. "Political instability is not good for bottom lines," she says.
Despite the mixed record of tech companies in addressing sociopolitical crises, some have shown courage in speaking out. Researchers at Anthropic and Databricks, such as Nikhil Thorat and Jonathan Frankle, have denounced the Trump administration's tactics as callous and immoral. Chief AI scientist at Databricks, Jonathan Frankle, has added his voice to Thorat's post criticizing ICE's actions.
Venture capitalist Jason Calacanis has also weighed in on the issue, suggesting that masked unidentified federal agents asking people for their "papers" are breaking the 4th amendment.
While some tech leaders have shown willingness to take a stand, many others remain silent. The contrast between employee dissent and CEO silence highlights the changing political landscape in the US and its impact on the tech industry.
The growing divide within the tech sector raises questions about the extent to which companies like Google, Meta, Amazon, and others will continue to stay out of the fray on immigration issues.
The killing of an unarmed US citizen by ICE agents has sparked widespread outrage and calls for action among some 150 tech workers who have signed a petition demanding that their company CEOs take a stand against ICE's violence and speak out against its recent actions. The list of signatories includes employees from companies such as Google, Meta, Amazon, OpenAI, TikTok, Spotify, Salesforce, LinkedIn, and Rippling.
While the petition is a notable development in the tech industry's response to sociopolitical crises, many have noted that it is unusual for tech leaders to take a stand on immigration issues. Historian Margaret O'Mara argues that business leaders often avoid taking a stance on political issues due to concerns about their bottom line. "Political instability is not good for bottom lines," she says.
Despite the mixed record of tech companies in addressing sociopolitical crises, some have shown courage in speaking out. Researchers at Anthropic and Databricks, such as Nikhil Thorat and Jonathan Frankle, have denounced the Trump administration's tactics as callous and immoral. Chief AI scientist at Databricks, Jonathan Frankle, has added his voice to Thorat's post criticizing ICE's actions.
Venture capitalist Jason Calacanis has also weighed in on the issue, suggesting that masked unidentified federal agents asking people for their "papers" are breaking the 4th amendment.
While some tech leaders have shown willingness to take a stand, many others remain silent. The contrast between employee dissent and CEO silence highlights the changing political landscape in the US and its impact on the tech industry.
The growing divide within the tech sector raises questions about the extent to which companies like Google, Meta, Amazon, and others will continue to stay out of the fray on immigration issues.
. It's crazy that their CEOs aren't taking a stand too! I mean, yeah, business leaders might be worried about losing money if they speak out on politics, but I think it's super important for them to show some courage and take a stance on issues like this 
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Jason Calacanis is right too, the 4th amendment is being seriously ignored when agents are asking for papers without ID. It's time for CEOs to step up and show some leadership 
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. I hope this growing dissent from employees will make a difference and get some real change happening soon 
what's going on with these big corps? Like, they're profiting off our data and innovations but can't handle a little controversy 
meanwhile their employees are speaking truth to power 
some CEOs need to take a stand for once 
and stop worrying about the bottom line 
business is not just about money, it's about values too 
the fact that these companies are staying silent on ICE's violent actions is, like, totally unacceptable 
The lack of CEO support is super surprising to me... I mean, you'd think they'd at least acknowledge the outrage their employees are expressing. It's not like they're not aware of the petition or the growing dissent - I've been seeing all these tweets from employees who are literally shakin' with anger 
. I hope more employees speak up and demand action from their CEOs soon! 
. It's like we're caught in between being loyal to our companies and doing what's right by our community 
. Maybe it's time for some CEOs to step up and lead the way 
i mean, i get it, they don't wanna rock the boat, but this is a huge human rights issue 
and companies like Google & Meta have so much influence 
if they really care about change, shouldn't they be leading by example? 
also, what's with all these people signing petitions individually instead of having their CEOs speak out loud? feels like we're missing a big voice on this one 
ICE actions are just plain wrong and callous. What's concerning is that their CEOs aren't taking a stand too, it's like they're hiding behind some corporate responsibility thingy. 
But we need more people like Nikhil Thorat and Jonathan Frankle who are willing to speak truth to power. We can't let the silence from CEOs be an excuse for not doing anything about these systemic issues.
I get it, business is all about the bottom line, but this is ridiculous! A petition signed by 150+ tech workers shouldn't be enough to convince them to take a stand. Where's the leadership? 
. It's crazy that some CEOs are keeping mum on this issue, especially when it comes to their own employees who are signing petitions and demanding change 
The fact that some CEOs are staying mum on this is super worrying 
. And yeah, I agree with Jason Calacanis on this - the 4th amendment shouldn't be ignored just because someone is wearing a badge 
. It's like they're all hiding behind the fact that they don't want to lose any business deals or something 
. It's like there's a whole other side to tech companies that we don't know about 
. We need more people standing up for what's right, especially in tech 
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. Are we as a society gonna keep tolerating this kind of thing, or are we gonna start demanding some real change? Only time will tell 
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it's crazy that they're taking a stand especially when it comes to something as important as immigration. I mean, who would've thought that tech companies would be on the forefront of this issue? 
and I was thinking maybe we could replace some of those single-use straws with reusable ones... like, what do you guys think about sustainability efforts in the tech industry? should companies be using their influence to promote eco-friendly practices?
but CEO silence is still deafening... business leaders should be aware of the impact on bottom lines, yet they're too scared to speak out 
. It's about time some of these CEOs start putting their money where their mouth is 
The timing couldn't be worse... 
This ICE shooting is a total travesty 
150+ tech workers speaking out against Trump's tactics is super inspiring 
But where are the CEOs? 
, it breaks my heart to see companies avoiding talking about these issues 
But it seems like some of them are more concerned with keeping their bottom line afloat 