Google CEO Sundar Pichai has joined the chorus of people attacking the anti-Muslim rhetoric of Donald Trump who recently called for a blanket ban on Muslims entering the US.
In the post on blogging platform Medium, titled “Let’s not let fear defeat our values”, Pichai described the US as a “land of opportunity” for immigrants. Pichai was born in Madras (now called Chennai), India, he moved to the States as an adult to go to school. A snippet of Pichai’s statement said:
“The open-mindedness, tolerance, and acceptance of new Americans is one of the country’s greatest strengths and most defining characteristics. And that is no coincidence — America, after all, was and is a country of immigrants.
“That is why it’s so disheartening to see the intolerant discourse playing out in the news these days — statements that our country would be a better place without the voices, ideas and the contributions of certain groups of people, based solely on where they come from, or their religion.
“I walk around the campus where I work and see a vibrant mix of races and cultures. Every one of those people has a different voice … a different perspective … a different story to tell. All of that makes our company an exciting and special place to be, and allows us to do great things together.
“We are urgently working to become much more diverse, because it’s so important to our future success. I firmly believe that whether you’re building a company or leading a country, a diverse mix of voices and backgrounds and experiences leads to better discussions, better decisions, and better outcomes for everyone.”
Pichai is among leading tech executives calling for acceptance in American society after Donald Trump called for a complete shutdown of Muslims entering the country.
Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg released a statementd last week where he pledged his support to the world’s Muslim community in the face of rising tide of anti-sentiment globally.
“If you’re a Muslim in this community, as the leader of Facebook I want you to know that you are always welcome here and that we will fight to protect your rights and create a peaceful and safe environment for you,” Zuckerberg posted.
