The Trump administration's executive order signed on Jan. 27 closed the U.S. borders to citizens and refugees from several countries and has resulted in a nationwide outcry from several Silicon Valley companies denouncing the immigration ban.
Top executives from companies such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Tesla, and more have come forward to voice their thoughts on the immigration ban, which incidentally has been blocked by a federal judge.
Here's a roundup of what Silicon Valley bigwigs think of the ban.
The social networking site's CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed his concerns on a Facebook post.
"Like many of you, 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," shared Zuckerberg.
Tesla
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, tweeted his disapproval and stated that the "blanket entry ban on citizens from certain primarily Muslim countries is not the best way to address the country's challenges."
The blanket entry ban on citizens from certain primarily Muslim countries is not the best way to address the country’s challenges
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) Jan. 29, 2017
Netflix
Reed Hastings, the CEO of Netflix, also voiced his disdain calling it "un-American" and stating that the life of more than 600,000 "Dreamers" in the country was under threat.
"Trump's actions are hurting Netflix employees around the world, and are so un-American it pains us all. Worse, these actions will make America less safe (through hatred and loss of allies) rather than more safe," he shared via a Facebook post.
Google also expressed concerns about the impact the executive order could have on its employees.
"We're concerned about the impact of this order and any proposals that could impose restrictions on Googlers and their families, or that create barriers to bringing great talent to the U.S.," stated the company. Sundar Pichai, the company's CEO, also revealed that over 100 staff were affected by the order.
Airbnb
Brian Chesky, the co-founder of Airbnb, also called for "opening doors" that would bring people together as "closing doors" divides people.
Open doors brings all of US together. Closing doors further divides US. Let's all find ways to connect people, not separate them. — Brian Chesky (@bchesky) January 28, 2017
Apple
Tim Cook shared in an email with employees the impact of the immigration ban and how it was affecting its employees.
"In my conversations with officials here in Washington this week, I've made it clear that Apple believes deeply in the importance of immigration — both to our company and to our nation's future," Cook advocated.
Microsoft
Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, initially reacted to the immigration ban on a LinkedIn post. A spokesperson for Microsoft issued a statement condemning the measure.
"We believe the executive order is misguided and a fundamental step backwards. There are more effective ways to protect public safety without creating so much collateral damage to the country's reputation and values," stated the company.
