George Floyd protests: Tech company responses

Thousands across the nation have gathered, donated or voiced their support of the Black community following the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man. Tech companies and their leaders have been no exception, with several announcing large donations and making other concrete changes.CNBC compiled a list of what the top tech companies, or their leaders, have said they’ll do to combat racial injustice: Airbnb will donate a total of $500,000 to the NAACP and Black Lives Matter Foundation and will match employee donations to both groups.Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said Google will give $12 million in funding to organizations working to address racial inequities. It also is providing $25 million in ad grants to organizations fighting racial injustice. The company is also matching employee donations, which contributed an additional $2.5 million. Sister company YouTube committed $1 million for the Center for Policing Equity. Amazon is donating a total of $10 million to the ACLU Foundation, Brennan Center for Justice, Equal Justice Initiative, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, NAACP, National Bar Association, National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Urban League, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, UNCF (United Negro College Fund) and Year Up. “The inequitable and brutal treatment of Black people in our country must stop,” Amazon said in a tweet.Apple CEO Tim Cook sent an employee memo three days after George Floyd died, in which he condemned the killing and acknowledged that racial injustice exists in the U.S. Cook said Apple will match employee donations, on top of its own commitment to a variety of groups, though it’s unclear how much money the company donated. Cook added in the letter to employees that the company will “reexamine our own views and actions in light of a pain that is deeply felt but too often ignored.”Box CEO Aaron Levie said he was committing $500,000 of his own money, asking on Twitter for recommendations for organizations working to eliminate racial injustice.Cisco will donate $5 million to groups including Equal Justice Initiative, Black Lives Matter and “our own fund for Fighting Racism and Discrimination.” Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins said in a tweet that “we need ACTION to eradicate racism, inequality, and injustice.” Comcast announced it is developing a multiyear plan that will allocate $100 million to fight injustice and inequality. The company said $75 million in cash and $25 million in media will be distributed over the next three years.Facebook will donate $10 million to “groups working on racial justice,” and will work with advisors and employees to find organizations in need, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on the social media platform. The company is also working on new products to advance racial justice and reviewing certain internal processes, including how the company treats content dealing with the use of police or state force, Zuckerberg said in a message to employees.Intel CEO Bob Swan said the chipmaker is pledging $1 million “in support of efforts to address social injustice and anti-racism across various nonprofits and community organizations.”Lyft co-founder Logan Green said the company will provide $500,000 in ride credits to the National Urban League, NAACP, National Action Network, Black Women’s Roundtable and National Bail Fund Network. The company also is donating ride credits to Lake Street Council in Minneapolis to help volunteers assisting with rebuilding efforts.Microsoft will donate a total of $1.5 million to the Black Lives Matter Foundation, Equal Justice Initiative, Innocence Project, The Leadership Conference, Minnesota Freedom Fund and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. The company will also match employee donations to eligible organizations. “We all have a role to play. I will do the work. The company will do the work. I am asking each of you to do the work,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.Netflix CEO Reed Hastings donated $1 million to the Center for Policing Equity. It’s unclear if the company made a donation. Netflix tweeted May 30: “To be silent is to be complicit. Black lives matter. We have a platform, and we have a duty to our Black members, employees, creators and talent to speak up.”Peloton said it will make a $500,000 donation to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. RedditReddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian resigned from the company’s board, urging the company to replace him with a black candidate. The company quickly honored that request and named venture capital investor Michael Seibel to its board. The company will also update its content policy in the coming weeks. Shopify will commit $1 million to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Black Health Alliance and Campaign Zero, CEO Tobias Lutke said. “No matter the arc of history as it’s taking, there is so much to be done yet. These things absolutely do not have any space in a company like Shopify. The entire company is a company built around helping people to improve their lot. The equality of opportunity is fundamental to the way we think,” he told employees. Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield and his partner, Away CEO Jen Rubio, said they were donating $700,000 and would match $300,000 to about 10 groups.Snap will no longer promote President Donald Trump’s content within Snapchat’s Discover feature. The decision came after Trump took to social media to address riots in the aftermath of the death of Floyd. “We will not amplify voices who incite racial violence and injustice by giving them free promotion on Discover,” the company said in a statement. “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.”Softbank is creating a new $100 million Opportunity Fund that will invest only in companies led by people of color. It’s being led by CEO Marcelo Claure and two Black leaders from the tech world: TaskRabbit CEO Stacy Brown-Philpot and Pindrop cofounder Paul Judge. TikTok, which has been accused of suppressing Black creators, laid out a series of steps it will take to ensure it highlights diversity. The company is establishing a creator diversity council, will reassess its moderation strategies, create a new creator portal that expands communications and build a new appeals process. Tiktok will also donate $3 million to nonprofits that help the Black community and another $1 million toward fighting racial injustice and inequality. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who is also Square CEO, is donating $3 million to former NFL player Colin Kaepernick’s organization Know Your Rights Camp.Uber will donate $1 million total to the Center for Policing Equity and Equal Justice Initiative, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said. Disclosure: Comcast is the owner of NBCUniversal, parent company of CNBC.Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.


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