Oracle Staffer Resigns, Starts Online Petition In Response To CEO Joining Trump Team
A senior staffer at Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL) resigned Tuesday and began a campaign against the corporation's leadership after CEO Safra Catz joined the transition team of President-elect Donald Trump.
Open Letter To Catz
"As a member of the Oracle Corporation community, I invite all members to stand together against the racial, religious and other intolerance that Donald Trump's policies and rhetoric promotes," George Polisner wrote in an online letter to Catz.
Polisner cited Trump's immigration stances and general policies on violence as reasons for ending his relationship with Oracle's involved leadership.
Petition Site
"There is no place for this kind of discrimination at Oracle Corporation or in America," he wrote on petition site Not Who We Are. "As a community, we affirm the values that make us who we are: diversity, openness and compassion. Join me in saying: Donald Trump is not who America is, and he is not who Oracle Corporation is."
Catz Involvement With Trump
Last week, Catz met with the president-elect during a technology summit at Trump Tower in Manhattan and released a pre-meeting statement in support of the impending administration.
"I plan to tell the president-elect that we are with him and will help in any way we can," Catz said. "If he can reform the tax code, reduce regulation and negotiate better trade deals, the U.S. technology industry will be stronger and more competitive than ever."
The response by Polisner echoes a sentiment seemingly prevalent in the technology industry. According to NBC News, Silicon Valley workers donated 60 times more to the Democratic campaign than they did to Trump this election. Additionally, many tech CEOs felt compelled to reach out to employees with post-election messages of encouragement. From eBay Inc (NASDAQ: EBAY)'s Devin Wenig to LinkedIn Corp (previously traded on NYSE under ticker LNKD)'s Jeff Weiner, they championed diversity and unity — and pointedly addressed employees with fears linked to Trump's policy stances.
Image Credit: Safra Catz; By Ilan Costica (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons
See more from Benzinga
© 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
