CEOs embrace Trump with minimal employee resistance
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Pfizer chief corporate affairs officer Sally Susman talks to Axios' Eleanor Hawkins in Davos. Credit: Dani Ammann Photography on behalf of Axios
CEOs across industries — from pharma to tech to banking — are committed to working with President Trump's new administration and are seeing very little internal pushback.
Why it matters: This is a dramatic shift from the employee activism seen during the tail end of the first Trump administration.
Driving the news: At an Axios conversation in Davos, Switzerland, Pfizer chief corporate affairs officer Sally Susman and DoorDash chief corporate affairs officer Elizabeth Jarvis-Shean highlighted the necessity of working with Trump.
What they're saying: "This is not a time to disengage," said Susman. "This is a massive change in America, and there are other major changes also happening in other countries around the world. We have a choice: Do we want to take a pessimistic, dark view and think that it's all going to be horrible? Do we want to be optimists and say, in change is opportunity?"
- "It's my job, and probably many others in the room with similar positions, to get in there and make your case in support of your [company's] policies. … Despite the flurry of executive orders, I still think there's a lot to be discussed and debated."
- Jarvis-Shean echoed this sentiment, saying, "It is our obligation, it's our responsibility to have engagement with the Trump administration in the same way that we would engage with the Biden administration, and in all of the other 30 markets where we operate."
The big picture: Tech titans made a big show during Trump's inauguration, and some have endorsed Trump-aligned policies — like the rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion — within their workforces.
Yes, but: While not all companies expect to change their policies to fit Trump's agenda, they are interested in finding areas of alignment.
Between the lines: Susman and Jarvis-Shean emphasized employees remain a key stakeholder group and priority for CEOs, and communication teams are being proactive around social or political issues.
- "We talk about it at all-hands, and we send it out in messages, and we've been very, very clear with proactive" communication, said Jarvis-Shean.
- "Don't wait until the election results happen to tell people that you're engaging with governments. Tell them ahead of time, because everybody's thinking about it and they're going to be asking questions."
What to watch: Many are anticipating how the flurry of executive orders might affect businesses and how Trump policies could impact the geopolitical landscape.
- "The fields of communications, government relations and corporate affairs are going to be very, very busy," Susman said. "Most of the CEOs I've talked to seem to feel like they need almost a global diplomacy department to understand this very complex and rapidly changing world."
More on Axios: Watch the interviews.
