Jun 19, 2018

Zuckerberg, Cook join chorus of tech protest on border separations

Scott Rosenberg, Ina Fried

Photo: Aurelien Morissard/IP3/Getty Images

The CEOs of Facebook, Apple and Google added their voices Tuesday to the tech industry's growing roster of opposition to the Trump administration's border policy, which is separating children from parents accused of immigrating illegally.

Why it matters: Many tech companies embrace the idea that they're forces for good. As political controversies in the U.S. deepen, their users and employees increasingly expect them to take stands.

What they're saying:

  • "We need to stop this policy right now," Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post that urged his friends to contribute to projects offering help to immigrant families at the border.
  • "I think that what’s happening is inhumane, it needs to stop,” Apple CEO Tim Cook told The Irish Times on Tuesday.
  • "The stories and images of families being separated at the border are gut-wrenching," Google CEO Sundar Pichai tweeted. "Urging our government to work together to find a better, more humane way that is reflective of our values as a nation."
  • Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted, "Do everything it takes to #KeepFamilesTogether."
  • YouTube's CEO, Susan Wojcicki, tweeted, "Regardless of your politics, it's heartbreaking to see what's happening to families at the border."
  • Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi: "As a father, a citizen and an immigrant myself, the stories coming from our border break my heart. Families are the backbone of society. A policy that pulls them apart rather than building them up is immoral and just plain wrong."
  • Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman tweeted that he will march on June 30 and encouraged others to do the same, offering up Slate's list of places to donate.
  • Lyft CEO John Zimmer said the service will offer free rides to a dozen organizations working on the ground on the issue.
  • Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins tweeted that we "must end cruel policy of separating accompanied minors from their parents – simply un-American."
  • SurveyMonkey CEO Zander Lurie: "Separating families is heartbreaking and inhumane. It's shocking to see the U.S. Gov't enabling or allowing this practice."
  • Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said in a statement to Axios that ”separation of families is never the solution, we need real immigration reform.”

Go deeper: Axios' Ina Fried has full coverage of this issue.

Go deeper

Axios

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 5 p.m. ET: 1,187,798 — Total deaths: 64,084 — Total recoveries: 245,949 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 5 p.m. ET: 301,902 — Total deaths: 8,175 — Total recoveries: 14,505 — Map.
  3. Public health latest: CDC launches national trackers and recommends face coverings in public. Federal government will cover costs of COVID-19 treatment for uninsured. The virus is hitting poor, minority communities harder and upending childbirth.
  4. 2020 latest: "We have no contingency plan," Trump said on the 2020 Republican National Convention. "We're having the convention at the end of August."
  5. Business updates: Restaurants step up for health care workers. Employees are pressuring companies to provide protections during coronavirus. America's small business bailout off to bad start.
  6. Oil latest: Monday meeting among oil-producing countries to discuss supply curbs is reportedly being delayed amid tensions between Saudi Arabia and Russia.
  7. Education update: Many college-age students won't get coronavirus relief checks.
  8. 1 🏀 thing: The WNBA postpones start of training camps and season.
  9. What should I do? Pets, moving and personal health. Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
  10. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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U.S. coronavirus updates: Death toll surpasses 8,000

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Recorded deaths from the coronavirus surpassed 8,000 in the U.S. on Saturday afternoon, per Johns Hopkins data. The death toll in the U.S. has risen over 1,000 every day for the past four days, since April 1.

The big picture: As expected, COVID-19 death tolls are rising in the U.S. The CDC is recommending Americans wear face coverings in public to help stop the spread, marking a significant change in messaging from the Trump administration.

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World coronavirus updates: Spain tracks more cases than Italy

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens and confirmed plus presumptive cases from the CDC

Spain overtook Italy in its number of coronavirus cases on Saturday. The global death toll has surpassed 62,000, per Johns Hopkins data.

The latest: About half the planet's population is on lockdown amid the coronavirus crisis. Fatalities are exponentially increasing across Europe, with roughly half of deaths worldwide located in Italy and Spain.

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