Seattle tech giants Amazon and Microsoft issued statements this weekend in response to the outrage and protests over George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.
— Amazon (@amazon) May 31, 2020
Protesters gathered in cities across the U.S. in response to the death of Floyd, who died after being held down by a white Minneapolis officer during an arrest. The officer was charged with third-degree murder in the case on Friday.
Demonstrators broke the windows of an Amazon Go store in downtown Seattle during a protest Friday evening. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan placed a 5 p.m. curfew for downtown Seattle on Saturday as the protests continued.
#seattleriots aftermath pic.twitter.com/BaaQMD3lzi
— Scott Moore (@scottm00re) May 31, 2020
Bloomberg reported Sunday that Amazon adjusted delivery routes and “scaled back typical operations” in cities where protests occurred this weekend.
ACLU responded to Amazon’s statement:
Cool tweet. Will you commit to stop selling face recognition surveillance technology that supercharges police abuse? https://t.co/DfnAhyw2PW
— ACLU (@ACLU) May 31, 2020
Leaders in Seattle and in the tech community are among those speaking out. “The pain and emotional trauma caused by the racism and violence we are witnessing toward the black community has a long reach,” Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos wrote in an Instagram post directing users to this essay, “especially if you’re a manager or leader.”
Here’s Amazon Web Services cloud chief Andy Jassy:
*What* will it take for us to refuse to accept these unjust killings of black people? How many people must die, how many generations must endure, how much eyewitness video is required? What else do we need? We need better than what we're getting from courts and political leaders.
— Andy Jassy (@ajassy) May 30, 2020
Microsoft posted remarks from CEO Satya Nadella to employees on Friday.
“We need to recognize that we are better, smarter and stronger when we consider the voices, the actions of all communities, and you have my assurance that Microsoft will continue to advocate to have all those voices heard and respected,” Nadella said, adding that employees should “have empathy for those who are scared and uncertain, and join me and everyone on the senior leadership team, in advocating for change in our company, in our communities, and in society at large.”
Update: Here’s another statement from Nadella on Monday:
There is no place for hate and racism in our society. Empathy and shared understanding are a start, but we must do more. I stand with the Black and African American community and we are committed to building on this work in our company and in our communities. https://t.co/WaEuhRqBho
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) June 1, 2020
Here’s former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer:
I am so so sad about #GeorgeFloyd and feel for his family. I am also angry. Everyone in America deserves to live without fear. We need to treat people equally, fairly, respectfully— especially blacks who often get treated so poorly.
— Steve Ballmer (@Steven_Ballmer) May 30, 2020
Here’s Melinda Gates’ comments:
The video of George Floyd’s brutal death broke my heart. I’ve watched the protests that followed and have felt overwhelmed with solidarity. And I’m listening as Black advocates and activists call on every American to treat racial justice as a shared responsibility.
— Melinda Gates (@melindagates) June 1, 2020
I don’t have all the answers about how I can use my voice and my philanthropy to be part of the solution. I will continue to deepen my understanding and to stand with people and organizations working toward a future centered on gender and racial equity.
— Melinda Gates (@melindagates) June 1, 2020
Black Lives Matter. We cannot allow systemic racism to go unnamed or unchallenged. Above all, we cannot turn away.
— Melinda Gates (@melindagates) June 1, 2020
Seattle real estate company Zillow Group issued its own statement Saturday: “Racism has no home here.”
This week I was invited to listen to our black employees share their pain and fear and confusion.
For themselves.
For their children.
Every time they leave their homes.
Enough.
I am an ally.
Racism has no home here. https://t.co/j7riPeq116— Rich Barton (@Rich_Barton) May 31, 2020
Here’s a statement from Bellevue, Wash.-based T-Mobile:
Racism, hatred, inequality must have no place in our world. Every person has the right to feel safe, seen and heard. pic.twitter.com/n7RWUlOArH
— T-Mobile (@TMobile) May 30, 2020
Sherrell Dorsey, an entrepreneur from Seattle and founder of The Plug, is tracking tech company responses. Other giants including Apple, Salesforce, Twitter and others made statements.
Hey, folks!
So with the help of many you and my new editorial assistant, we've developed a database of tech companies/CEOs that have made public statements in support of Black employees & communities during this time.
View our spreadsheet here: https://t.co/ZKGevOkCgM
— Sherrell Dorsey (@Sherrell_Dorsey) May 30, 2020
Dear tech CEOs,
Help us out when you’re releasing these statements today and tomorrow. Tag your diversity reports explicitly calling out Black representation at your companies & within leadership.
Also let us know what ACTIONS you’re taking. We’re compiling our data on this.
— Sherrell Dorsey (@Sherrell_Dorsey) May 31, 2020
Leaders in the Seattle startup community are also sounding off:
Racism is wrong. We know this without anybody telling us. No one is born a racist. You learn to become one. And if you can learn to be one, you can also learn not to. And the first step is to speak up against it. Being silent makes you complicit. #BlackLivesMatter
— Eugenio Pace (@eugenio_pace) May 30, 2020
VC and tech bro’s were quick to edit a mask into their Twitter avatar, but they’ve been incredibly slow to say #BlackLivesMatter
— Andrew Sampson (@Andrewmd5) May 31, 2020
Write. The. Check.
Normalize the idea of investing in talented black founders by actually doing it. https://t.co/anAxDG9uBW
— Andrew Sampson (@Andrewmd5) May 31, 2020
I'm a privileged white male. I couldn't sleep last night. I can't imagine what black folks are feeling right now. I want a much better world for you, for us, and for our kids. #BlackLivesMatters
— Marcelo Calbucci (@calbucci) May 31, 2020