RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – High-profile tech executives are speaking out strongly against racism in the wake of George Floyd’s death last week,

  • Red Hat CEO Paul Cormier:

“Red Hat stands in solidarity with the Black community – our colleagues, customers, partners and neighbors – and all who are hurting right now in the fight against racism and injustice.”

  • IBM CEO Arvind Krishna:

“We cannot lose sight of the fact that racism is tearing our communities apart. One lesson we should all learn is that silent carriers help spread racism. This is why it falls on all of us to do away with the legacy of bias, prejudice and racism that has led to these unspeakable events.

  • Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins:

“What’s happening in the US is abhorrent. It’s far overdue for all of us to take action to eradicate systemic racism, xenophobia, inequality & all forms of bigotry in America. How we respond will be an important moment in our nation’s history.”

  • Merck CEO Ken Frazier, who is one of four black CEOs at Fortune 500 company:

“What the African American community sees in that videotape is that this African American man, who could be me or any other African American man, is being treated as less than human …

“It is the responsibility of corporate America to bridge those gaps. If we don’t try to create opportunities for these people to be employed — joblessness creates hopelessness.”

  • Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella:

“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.”

  • Google CEO Sundar Pichai:

Today on US Google & YouTube homepages we share our support for racial equality in solidarity with the Black community and in memory of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery & others who don’t have a voice. For those feeling grief, anger, sadness & fear, you are not alone.

  • Apple CEO Tim Cook: 

“George Floyd’s death is shocking and tragic proof that we must aim far higher than a ‘normal’ future, and build one that lives up to the highest ideals of equality and justice.”

  • Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg: 

“I know Facebook needs to do more to support equality and safety for the Black community through our platforms. … it’s clear Facebook also has more work to do to keep people safe and ensure our systems don’t amplify bias.

“The organizations fighting for justice also need funding, so Facebook is committing an additional $10 million to groups working on racial justice.”

  • Amazon  CEO Jeff Bezos:

Bezos chose to share a May 29 essay by Shenequa Golding (“Maintaining Professionalism In The Age of Black Death Is….A Lot“) on his Instagram page, saying “the pain and emotional trauma caused by the racism and violence we are witnessing toward the black community has a long reach.”

Sources: CNBC, Computer Business Review, staff reports