Let no crisis … or marketing opportunity go to waste? Big Tech and entertainment corporations across the country have declared solidarity for protestors as the country burns.
Many of the household name companies that are a staple of modern American life have declared their support for protestors. Google, Twitter, Facebook, Netflix, Amazon, and many other companies have made public statements of solidarity with racial agitators that have torn apart American cities after the alleged killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd in late May.
“The pressure that companies feel to speak out on issues has increased during the Trump era, as businesses have sought to fill a trust void left by the government,” liberal news outlet Axios reported in its article “Twitter, Google lead chorus of brands backing George Floyd protests.”
Google CEO Sundar Pichai tweeted May 31 with a depiction of the the Google homepage showing “support of racial equality”:
“Today on US Google & YouTube homepages we share our support for racial equality in solidarity with the Black community and in memory of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery & others who don’t have a voice. For those feeling grief, anger, sadness & fear, you are not alone.”
Google’s subsidiary, YouTube posted in kind, by changing its logo on Twitter and tweeting:
“We stand in solidarity against racism and violence. When members of our community hurt, we all hurt. We’re pledging $1M in support of efforts to address social injustice.”
Twitter’s main account on the platform changed its profile to express solidarity, using a “#BlackLivesMatter” hashtag.
“Minneapolis is grieving for a reason,” Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted. “To paraphrase Dr. King, the negative peace which is the absence of tension is no substitute for the positive peace which is the presence of justice. Justice is how we heal.”
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has taken heat for not censoring President Donald Trump’s statements like Twitter, wrote a lengthy post where he committed millions to fund racial justice organizations:
"... The organizations fighting for justice also need funding, so Facebook is committing an additional $10 million to groups working on racial justice. We're working with our civil rights advisors and our employees to identify organizations locally and nationally that could most effectively use this right now. ..."
“To be silent is to be complicit. Black lives matter,” streaming giant Netflix wrote in a May 30 tweet. “We have a platform, and we have a duty to our Black members, employees, creators and talent to speak up.”
Amazon tweeted, “The inequitable and brutal treatment of Black people in our country must stop. Together we stand in solidarity with the Black community — our employees, customers, and partners — in the fight against systemic racism and injustice.”
TikTok, the company famously under the thumb of the Chinese communist government posted a similar graphic, which proclaimed:
“At TikTok we deeply value the diverse voices among our users, creators, artists, partners, and employees.
“We stand with the Black community and are proud to provide a platform where #blacklivesmatter and #georgefloyd generate powerful and important content with over 1 billion views.”
Perhaps most ironically, this same app which reserves the right to spy on users and delete content critical of the Chinese Communist Party included the claim, “We are committed to fostering a space where everyone is seen and heard.”
