Leaders from across U.S. technology industry are condemning new restrictions on employment-based visas imposed by President Donald Trump this week.
Tech employers say they use work visas to recruit employees for specialized roles when the U.S. talent pool runs dry. Leaders at Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Tesla, YouTube, Apple, Twitter, Salesforce, and other tech companies issued statements criticizing the executive order within a few hours.
<p>"Now is not the time to cut our nation off from the world's talent or create uncertainty and anxiety," said Microsoft President Brad Smith in <a href="https://twitter.com/BradSmi/status/1275232627453288450" target="_blank">a tweet</a>. "Immigrants play a vital role at our company and support our country's critical infrastructure. They are contributing to this country at a time when we need them most."</p><p>Tech companies are reliant on several of the visa categories that Trump banned through 2020 in an attempt to shift jobs to American workers as the country recovers from the pandemic-induced economic recession. Trump said the temporary moratorium on H-1B, L, and certain J visas will force companies to hire out-of-work Americans.</p><p>"Under ordinary circumstances, properly administered temporary worker programs can provide benefits to the economy," Trump said in the <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-suspending-entry-aliens-present-risk-u-s-labor-market-following-coronavirus-outbreak/" target="_blank">executive order</a>. "But under the extraordinary circumstances of the economic contraction resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak, certain nonimmigrant visa programs authorizing such employment pose an unusual threat to the employment of American workers."</p><p>Trump's latest move extends an April executive order temporarily blocking green card authorizations and adds additional employment-based visa categories. But the president's attempts to curb legal immigration the U.S. predate the pandemic, leading some in the tech industry to doubt the motivations of the executive order.</p><p>"The Trump administration has been ratcheting up work visa restrictions from the beginning, when unemployment was low," said Doug Rand, co-founder of the Seattle startup <a href="http://boundless.com/" target="_blank">Boundless Immigration</a> and a former Obama White House official. "The pandemic is just a pretext to continue pursuing an extreme agenda of restriction that most Americans oppose."</p><p>Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn is one of several tech leaders who expressed concern about the impact the order will have on American economic competitiveness:</p><div id="39529" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d64fe7dbbc437eef53bf45b9c8c453d7"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1275256242202726400" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Imagine if Real Madrid Or Barcelona could only hire players from Spain. They probably wouldn’t be the best in the w… https://t.co/iLyMeaL1tm</div> — Luis von Ahn (@Luis von Ahn)<a href="https://twitter.com/LuisvonAhn/statuses/1275256242202726400">1592879755.0</a></blockquote></div><p>The policy suspends entry of immigrants on an H-1B, H-2B, and L visas. It also covers certain types J visas, like au pairs and camp counselors. The order applies to visa holders who are outside of the U.S. when it takes effect on June 24 and visa applicants whose work authorization has not yet taken effect. Fields deemed "essential" during the pandemic, such as the food and agriculture sector, are exempt, which could open the door for exceptions in some tech roles.<br/></p><p>The order is set to remain in place through Dec. 31, 2020. Trump instructed the Department of Homeland Security to review the policy within 30 days of June 24 — and every 60 days after that — to recommend any modifications deemed necessary.</p><p>Continue reading for more reactions to the visa ban from the tech industry:</p><p><br/></p><div id="61022" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4af1a1a3d0aff0defa9b6c9b420e8e48"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1275192075214966784" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Immigration has contributed immensely to America’s economic success, making it a global leader in tech, and also Go… https://t.co/dnE6h9JG8U</div> — Sundar Pichai (@Sundar Pichai)<a href="https://twitter.com/sundarpichai/statuses/1275192075214966784">1592864457.0</a></blockquote></div><p><br/></p><div id="9afda" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2b63e43a58ffcdb24c7e64ca59db25ab"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1275264504725528576" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@nytimes Very much disagree with this action. In my experience, these skillsets are net job creators. Visa reform m… https://t.co/Oy3WaNYFbM</div> — Elon Musk (@Elon Musk)<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/statuses/1275264504725528576">1592881725.0</a></blockquote></div><p><br/></p><div id="4678a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="aeeb9d66be5e501fbb14d76986c6c4eb"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1275261388101828609" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Immigration is central to America's story, and it's central to my own family's story. My family escaped danger and… https://t.co/AKV2p0QVoO</div> — Susan Wojcicki (@Susan Wojcicki)<a href="https://twitter.com/SusanWojcicki/statuses/1275261388101828609">1592880982.0</a></blockquote></div><div id="432d6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1e0fc1e896afa37d3a60c0d5c9ec17bd"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1275407136256712707" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Like Apple, this nation of immigrants has always found strength in our diversity, and hope in the enduring promise… https://t.co/3hYcZ0aIMj</div> — Tim Cook (@Tim Cook)<a href="https://twitter.com/tim_cook/statuses/1275407136256712707">1592915731.0</a></blockquote></div><p><br/></p><p><em>This story <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2020/tech-leaders-slam-trumps-temporary-work-visa-ban/" target="_blank">first appeared on GeekWire</a>.</em></p>
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Snap has decided to stop featuring President Donald Trump's account on its Discover platform, where users can watch curated videos.
The Santa Monica-based company issued a statement Wednesday:
"We are not currently promoting the President's content on Snapchat's Discover platform. We will not amplify voices who incite racial violence and injustice by giving them free promotion on Discover. Racial violence and injustice have no place in our society and we stand together with all who seek peace, love, equality, and justice in America."
<p>A Snap spokesperson said the company made the decision over the weekend. On Sunday, Snap CEO Even Spiegel wrote to his employees, condemning racial injustice. </p><p>"I am heartbroken and enraged by the treatment of black people and people of color in America," he wrote. </p><p>Though Spiegel did not specifically call out President Trump in that letter, he highlighted that Snap has a responsibility to monitor the content on its platform.</p><p>"We simply cannot promote accounts in America that are linked to people who incite racial violence, whether they do so on or off our platform." Spiegel wrote. "Our Discover content platform is a curated platform, where we decide what we promote. We have spoken time and again about working hard to make a positive impact, and we will walk the talk with the content we promote on Snapchat. We may continue to allow divisive people to maintain an account on Snapchat, as long as the content that is published on Snapchat is consistent with our community guidelines, but we will not promote that account or content in any way."</p><p>The president's account remains on the platform, and is accessible via search and to subscribers, a Snap spokesperson noted. Unlike some other social media platforms, the spokesperson also said that Snap does not consider itself a "'town square' where anyone can speak publicly to the entire Snapchat community." Rather, as the curator of content on its Discover platform, Snap says it has a "responsibility to our community to show them public content that we believe will enhance their experience on Snapchat." </p><p>President Trump's campaign manager Brad Parscale issued a response on the Trump campaign's website:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Snapchat is trying to rig the 2020 election, illegally using their corporate funding to promote Joe Biden and suppress President Trump. Radical Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel would rather promote extreme left riot videos and encourage their users to destroy America than share the positive words of unity, justice, and law and order from our President.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Snapchat hates that so many of their users watch the President's content and so they are actively engaging in voter suppression. If you're a conservative, they do not want to hear from you, they do not want you to vote. They view you as a deplorable and they do not want you to exist on their platform."</p><p>In May, Joe Biden <a href="https://dot.la/biden-takes-to-snapchat-to-woo-younger-voters-2645993115.html" target="_blank">appeared</a> on the featured "Good Luck America" program, where he was interviewed and asked to address the perception that he is "old, out of touch, and kind of lame."</p><p>As <a href="https://dot.la/snap-tiktok-grindr-section-230-2646118991.html" target="_self">dot.LA reported Monday</a>, Snap has been the platform of choice for some people and groups seeking to promote violence, theft and property damage in the recent civil unrest. <br/></p><p>The self-described camera company is protected from financial liability for such messages by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.</p><p>Last week, however, <a href="https://dot.la/snap-tiktok-grindr-section-230-2646118991.html" target="_self">Trump signed an executive order that may change all of that</a> by enabling federal regulators to punish social media companies for how they moderate content on their sites. Lawmakers and internet freedom advocates called the action illegal and improper under the First Amendment.</p><p>As of 12:45 p.m. PT, Snap's share price was down about 1.5% for the day. </p><p>---</p><p><em>Sam Blake covers media & entertainment for dot.LA. Find him on Twitter @hisamblake and email him at samblake@dot.LA </em><br/></p>
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