A new wave of employee activism is forcing tech companies to rethink — and in several cases cancel — contracts with the federal government because of some of President Donald Trump’s controversial policies. While a number of tech companies are responding to employee concerns by pulling out of agreements with federal agencies, Microsoft is charting a different course.
Employee activism has been building in Silicon Valley for more than a year. Last summer, Google decided not to renew a contract for the Pentagon’s Project Maven after 4,000 employees expressed concerns about their work being used for lethal purposes. The trend spread to sister tech hub Seattle, reaching a fever pitch over the past few days.
Google and Amazon employees walked out recently to demand their employers take a bolder stance on climate change, joining a broader demonstration. Amazon unveiled its carbon footprint for the first time and announced new environmental goals the day before the planned walkout. And the software company Chef decided not to renew its contracts with immigration officials after employees expressed concerns and a former worker even deleted code he had written for the firm.
But the Seattle region’s first tech giant, Microsoft, has held firm in its resolve not to unplug public agencies even when the company vehemently disagrees with the government’s policies. Microsoft President Brad Smith explained why during an interview with me at Seattle’s Town Hall.
“The only way we’re going to achieve our goals is ultimately to change other peoples minds,” he said. “If the only people we can work with are those who agree with us already, then we’re probably just sentencing ourselves to a permanent state of gridlock.”