A number of 145 major tech leaders signed an open letter that condemns Donald Trump as a potential disaster for innovation in case that he would win the American presidential race.
The Huffington Post reports that among the tech leaders who signed the open letter are names from almost every major tech company, including Apple, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Tumblr, Google, Slack, Instacart, TaskRabbit and many more. Among the signatories of the letter are also leaders of non-profit organizations and names form the academic establishment.
The open letter is condemning Donald Trump's candidacy for president in an unprecedented and remarkable intervention from an industry known to be reluctant to engage with electoral politics. The open letter from the tech leaders has been published on The Huffington Post blog and on a Medium post. The 145 tech leaders who signed the letter are making clear that they are not speaking in the name of the companies they represent but rather speaking in their personal capacity.
The main message of the open letter is that Trump's brand of xenophobic political discourse might undermine the innovative capacity of America instead of making it great again. It is worth to mention that among the most successful technology companies in the United States, many have founders who are immigrants. CNN Money reports that around 50 percent of the country's private companies valued at $1 billion or more have at least one immigrant founder, according to an NFAP report.
Trump would hurt innovation, the letter says, because his vision is against the free movement of people, open exchange of ideas and productive engagement with the outside world. These factors provide the foundation for growth and innovation and they are vital to the American economy.
The letter points out that the tech leaders who signed it believe in the fact that America's diversity is the nation's real strength. Broad-based creative potential should be encouraged because great ideas could come from all parts of society. Progressive immigration policies can help America attract some of the brightest minds in the world.
Hillary Clinton's tech has received five-star reviews from Silicon Valley, according to The Washington Post. However, the current the open letter from tech leaders is a condemnation of Trump and not an endorsement of Clinton:
