Microsoft recently came out in opposition to President Trump's executive order banning immigration from certain countries, and now CEO Satya Nadella has given some more personal thoughts on the matter in a Q&A with employees. Tapping into his own immigration story, Nadella's comments reiterate that Microsoft stands for diversity and inclusion that he believes are at the core of both the company and the United States.
Here are Nadella's remarks in full, as posted at Microsoft's On The Issues blog:
I always come back to two things. One is the enduring principles and values that drive us as a company, that have made us and this country what it is, and my own personal story.There is no place for bias or bigotry in any society, in any context. That's where we start from. We will always as a company stand for that diversity and inclusion. And we'll keep pushing at it, pushing at it, and making progress. That's core to who we are. That I believe is core to what America is.I mean, think about it, I am a product of the fundamental greatness of the United States. It is the ingenuity of the American technology that reached me where I was growing up that even made it possible for me to dream of being able to be part of this journey. It is the enlightened immigration policy of this country that even made it possible for me to come here in the first place, and gave me all this opportunity.And so I always think about that. I will always advocate for that America that I know and that I've experienced.And we will do that consistently. We're not going to overreact because of any one incident, but we will always stand for what we believe are these enduring principles that really are going to be about us as a company, but also recognizing that we're a multinational company that is an American company.
Microsoft also reiterated its earlier, strongly worded statement in opposition to the order, saying:
We believe the executive order is misguided and a fundamental step backwards. There are more effective ways to protect public safety without creating so much collateral damage to the country's reputation and values.
Microsoft says that it will continue to advocate on this topic and provide legal assistance to employees who are affected by the executive order, along with their families, just as it promised to do last week.
