Other businesses are being pressured to follow in Kalanick’s steps. This week, Nordstrom announced that it would no longer carry the Ivanka Trump clothing line after a boycott campaign targeted it and dozens of other companies that have business ties to Trump. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is being heavily pressured to drop out of the advisory council, too.
Key Takeaways:
- Shortly after Trump’s announcement, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick sent a note to Uber drivers calling Trump’s move an “unjust immigration and travel ban.”
- As the leftist Huffington Post put it, “employees, consumers and activists want businesses leaders to pick a side.”
- Trying to appease hard-core activists can easily backfire, and (no matter which side you take) you are guaranteed to alienate a huge chunk of your customer base.
“This isn’t to say that business leaders should be silent, or not get involved — on their own dime. But when their companies take an official stand on a highly charged and divisive issue, it’s their shareholders who are likely to pay a price.”
Leave a Reply