A number of tech giants from Apple CEO Tim Cook to Google CEO Sundar Pichai have come together to speak against the Trump government's policy of separating the undocumented children from their families at the border, but Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella came under scrutiny for the company's alleged role in executing several contracts for ICE.
In his elaborate letter to employees who demanded cancellation of government contracts worth $19 million, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella described the trump Administration move against children as "abhorrent" and "simply cruel and abusive," but stayed clear from business deals with the government.
No responding directly to an email by more than 100 Microsoft employees to cancel the tech giant's contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), he said the company products are not being used specifically for the separation of families.
Microsoft's work with ICE was revealed a blog post in Azure in January highlighted the work. "Our current cloud engagement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is supporting legacy mail, calendar, messaging and document management workloads," he clarified. Microsoft has more than $19 million in active cloud contracts with ICE, said reports.
Other tech heavyweights voicing their opposition included Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki.
Cook called the policy 'inhumane' and 'heartbreaking' during his speech in Dublin on Tuesday. Quoted by The Irish Times, Cook said, "It's heartbreaking to see the images and hear the sounds of the kids. Kids are the most vulnerable people in any society. I think that what's happening is inhumane, it needs to stop."
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki took it to her Twitter account to express her views. She said, "heartbreaking to see what's happening to families at the border."
Regardless of your politics, it's heartbreaking to see what's happening to families at the border. Here are some ways you can help: https://t.co/IFVG6g8AKO
— Susan Wojcicki (@SusanWojcicki) June 19, 2018
Although Wojcicki did not explicitly call the Trump government to change its course, instead she tweeted a link to an article that lists resources for supporting and donating aids to those families.
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, used his Facebook profile on Tuesday for a fundraiser for the Texas Civil Rights Project. It is a group which has been helping the affected immigrants with aids. Zuckerberg said, "We need to stop this policy right now."
Google's Sundar Pichai tweeted that the stories and images of these families are 'gut-wrenching' and called the government to find "a better, more humane way that is reflective of our values as a nation."
The stories and images of families being separated at the border are gut-wrenching. Urging our government to work together to find a better, more humane way that is reflective of our values as a nation. #keepfamiliestogether
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) June 19, 2018
The were plenty of critical voices from the tech industry which included one of the sharpest comment from Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson. He wrote on his blog post titled "Separating immigrant families isn't just wrong, it's a war crime."
He wrote, "As a tech leader and public CEO, I'm often advised to stay apolitical. But this isn't politics, I believe this is a matter of objective right and wrong. Staying silent doesn't feel like leadership to me. I encourage other leaders to consider the cost of silence."
