Last week, angry progressives forced Uber’s CEO to quit Donald Trump’s economic advisory council, accusing him of collaborating with Trump’s immigration policy agenda. And that victory is setting up a no-win scenario for American CEOs.
As Uber’s drama played out in public, a quiet alliance between another tech company, Apple, and the Trump Administration was taking place. Tim Cook met with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner at out-of-the-way DC hotspot Tosca.
Aside from Elon Musk, who runs the wildly successful Tesla, it seems American CEOs are under constant threat of “protest nation”—the urge among left-leaning activists to destroy the reputation of any industry leader who so much as dares to shake Donald Trump’s hand.
Even the openly gay head of a beloved international corporation that donates millions to liberal causes isn’t immune. When word leaked out that Cook had broken bread with the dreaded Trump progeny, Twitter’s activist community exploded.
@tim_cook Please stop meeting with Trump, the Trump children, Jared Kushner, et al. Please stop. Sincerely, an Apple loyalist
— Alyse Killeen (@AlyseKilleen) February 4, 2017
Part of a CEO’s job is government relations: regulations, trade, immigration and policy all impact how a brand operates on a global scale. The intricate collaboration between private and public also means that corporate leaders need to be schooled in diplomacy, working with even administrations they may personally detest.
With no political relationships, corporations are adrift and subject to the government’s whims. As Uber’s CEO said in his initial statement, it’s better to be involved in policy-making than not to be involved.
That doesn’t mean that CEOs like Cook have to be absent from political controversy. Apple, as a corporate entity, came out publicly against Trump’s immigration ban. It even suggested that it may file its own lawsuit against the Executive Order, saying Trump’s actions cut off the company’s ability to hire the most qualified candidates.
But to ask a CEO to detach completely—or shuffle around under cover of darkness, covertly sharing Italian food with top aides—would force the CEO to violate his or her own commitment to the company they run.
Fortunately for Trump, most CEOs on his official boards are resisting better than Uber. But many of them have yet to be named by the pitchfork-wielding social media hordes.
