For companies and high-profile executives, speaking out in times of national crisis carries risks. But so does staying silent.
In the wake of Alex Pretti’s death at the hands of federal officers in Minneapolis, a growing number of corporate leaders, employees and Minnesota-based companies are speaking out. Some are condemning the fatal shooting and Donald Trump’s broader immigration enforcement in the state.
But the response has also exposed a familiar tension in corporate America: Powerful executives and public-facing companies often stay quiet until internal and external pressures converge — and until they believe speaking out together matters more than speaking loudly.
“What’s really interesting is that the CEOs do engage when they get to a tipping point, and we’re at one again,” said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a Yale School of Management professor and author of the book “Trump’s Ten Commandments.”
This time it’s different. This time there’s the E files. And these CEOs who are implicated (these ghouls are as pdf as the files? whouldathunkit) needed to lay low.
Certainly that’s part of it, but let’s not ignore the fact that Trump demands unflinching loyalty and then treats loyalty as weakness.
Remember when Target rolled over all its DEI programs and basically went full Trump the day he got elected? What did it get them? Apart from predictable loss of customers it also got an entire army of ICE goons murdering people across the street from their corporate HQ.
These people and corps would never have done the right thing even without pressure. They do what’s best for CEO bonuses and shareholder profits. Sticking the finger up to the little guy is an added bonus to keep him in his place.