Twitter employees have donated more than $1 million to help the American Civil Liberties Union fight President Donald Trump and his immigration ban.
While it’s not a corporation donation – it was made by employees and leadership, not the company itself – Twitter is indirectly joining a long list of fellow tech companies that have pledged their support to the ACLU’s cause. Following hefty contributions from Google, Uber and Lyft, the ACLU has reportedly accumulated over $24 million in online donations over the past few days.
According to TechCrunch, nearly a thousand Twitter employees pledged a sum of $530,000, which was later matched by CEO Jack Dorsey and executive chairman Omid Kordestani. Twitter says the total allotment stands at $1.59 million.
Among other industry heavyweights, Stripe CEO Patrick Collison, Nest founder Tony Fadell as well as Slack CEO Steward Butterfield have also backed the ACLU in their battle against the Trump administration.
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The support for immigrants from the tech industry so far has been nothing short of outstanding.
Earlier this week Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky extended a helping hand, promising the homestay service will offer free housing to anyone who’s been left stranded as a result of Trump’s executive order.
Airbnb is providing free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed in the US. Stayed tuned for more, contact me if urgent need for housing
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) January 29, 2017
Apple CEO Tim Cook similarly voiced out his dissatisfaction with the travel ban, pleading to the Trump administration to rescind the order.
In addition to his appeal, Cook added the Big A has opened a public fund dedicated to refugees and those affected by the anti-immigration order, promising to match all employee donations on a two-to-one basis.
Deeply moved today visiting @FordsTheatreNPS and Peterson House where Abraham Lincoln took his last breath. His words are timeless. pic.twitter.com/z6mMAvOdzK
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) January 28, 2017
According to more recent reports, tech behemoths including Google, Apple, Microsoft and Facebook are currently in the process of drafting a joint letter to President Trump to express their disapproval of the immigration ban.
Correction: This post previously implied Twitter made a corporate donation to ACLU. While employees and leadership donated to the organization, it was not a corporate donation from Twitter itself.
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