‘An affront to America:’ Tech leaders condemn Charlottesville violence
Silicon Valley reacted swiftly to violence that erupted Saturday between white nationalists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, which left at least one dead and dozens more injured.
Apple CEO Tim Cook did not mince words on Twitter (TWTR), calling the violence a “moral issue.”
Heartbreaking scenes in #Charlottesville. Violence and racism have no place in America.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) August 12, 2017
We’ve seen the terror of white supremacy & racist violence before. It’s a moral issue – an affront to America. We must all stand against it
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) August 14, 2017
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky told Yahoo Finance in a statement that Airbnb removed several rally participants from the service who had booked places to stay in Charlottesville and planned on holding a series of parties at those Airbnb bookings.
“We require those who are members of the Airbnb community to accept people regardless of their race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age,” Chesky said in the statement. “When we see people pursuing behavior on the platform that would be antithetical to the Airbnb Community Commitment, we take appropriate action.”
Other leaders in tech also took to social media to express their anger and sadness, including T-Mobile CEO John Legere and Box CEO Aaron Levie, who applauded Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier’s decision to resign from President Donald Trump’s American Manufacturing Council.
What happened in #Charlottesville is intolerable. My prayers for the victims & families. Racism & violence are not who we are – it must end.
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) August 13, 2017
With the tragic display of hated & violence in #Charlottesville, a happy #slowcookersunday feels wrong. Today, let’s focus on ending hate. pic.twitter.com/haSkNodRkI
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) August 13, 2017
Bravo. https://t.co/BCiyiLgrHf
— Aaron Levie (@levie) August 14, 2017
Trump came under fire over the weekend for initially blaming Saturday’s violence on “many sides” without calling out white nationalists by name — a move he attempted to rectify with a stronger statement on Sunday.
Brian Krzanich, Intel’s (INTC) CEO, called upon Trump to be more forceful in his remarks when he weighed in on Twitter. The 57-year-old chief executive announced in a company blog post on Monday evening he had also resigned from Trump’s manufacturing council.
There should be no hesitation in condemning hate speech or white supremacy by name. #Intel asks all our countries leadership to do the same
— Brian Krzanich (@bkrunner) August 14, 2017
Not everyone in tech was as harsh on Trump, however. Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff took a more generous approach, thanking Trump for eventually taking a more severe stance.
Thank you @realDonaldTrump for calling to Love thy neighbor, value equality, & calling evil by name. https://t.co/eLg4a3bMVv MK12:31 LV 19:9
— Marc Benioff (@Benioff) August 14, 2017
But perhaps it was Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg who was most poignant, taking to Facebook (FB) to explain how the events in Charlottesville left Sandberg “heartbroken.” She also explained the challenges in explaining the events in Charlottesville to her 10-year-old daughter.
“How do you tell a 10-year-old that such extreme racism and inhumanity has taken place so recently?” Sandberg wrote. “And how do you explain why atrocities are still committed against so many people all over the world?”
(Additional reporting by Julia La Roche.)
Updated at 11:31 p.m. ET on August 14, 2017 to reflect Krzanich’s resignation from Trump’s manufacturing council on Monday evening.
—
JP Mangalindan is a senior correspondent for Yahoo Finance covering the intersection of tech and business. Email story tips and musings to [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter or Facebook.
More from JP:
Facebook diversity chief: ‘We are not in the business of giving away jobs’
Why the world’s biggest search site has to pay for traffic to its site
What Silicon Valley employees are doing with their red-hot stock grants
Here’s what we know about Apple’s glistening new $5 billion campus
Inside the Modernist: an exclusive club for Silicon Valley’s tech elite
Uber HR chief’s comments on ‘taking shots’ not wise move: Stanford professor
LEAKED AUDIO: Uber’s all-hands meeting had some uncomfortable moments