Here’s How Tech Leaders Are Reacting To Trump’s Immigration Ban

OfficeChai Team

US President Donald Trump yesterday announced a 90 day ban on immigrants from 7 countries – Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya. The order further instituted a temporary halt on all refugees from Syria. 

The tech community, predictably, is up in arms agains the move. Silicon Valley had been a vocal critic of Trump’s anti-immigration policies right since the beginning of his campaign. It also hires thousands of immigrants, who often work at top companies. 

1.Elon Musk: Elon Musk is a part of Trump’s Economic Advisory Team, but that didn’t stop him from criticizing the move. “I don’t think it was the best way to address the country’s challenges.

2. Sergey Brin: Google’s Sergey Brin was spotted at a protest in San Francisco against the move. “I’m here because I’m a refugee,” he reported said. Brin was born in Moscow and his family had immigrated to the US when he was five years old.

3. Sam Altman: The Y Combinator partner has been a vocal critic of Trump. The day of his inauguration, he’d started trackTrump.com, a site that would track the President’s performance during his first 100 days in office. Altman also tweeted a picture of himself at the protest in San Francisco.

 

4. Travis Kalanick: Uber CEO Travis Kalanick sent a mail to his employees. He also said that Uber drivers who drove in the US from the banned countries and are stuck outside the US will be provided assistance by the company. “We are working out a process to identify these drivers and compensate them pro bono during the next three months to help mitigate some of the financial stress and complications with supporting their families and putting food on the table,” the email said.

5. Satya Nadella: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also wrote a Linkedin post about the move. “We believe that immigration laws can and should protect the public without sacrificing people’s freedom of expression or religion. And we believe in the importance of protecting legitimate and law-abiding refugees whose very lives may be at stake in immigration proceedings,” it said.

6. Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that he was concerned about the impact of Trump’s order. “My great grandparents came from Germany, Austria and Poland. Priscilla’s parents were refugees from China and Vietnam. The United States is a nation of immigrants, and we should be proud of that,” he said.

7. Brian Chesky: Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky announced that Airbnb will be letting refugees stranded outside the US stay for free in Airbnbs around the world.