Technology industry reacts to Trump takeover through gritted teeth - Inquirer

OUR TRUSTED TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY has taken the US presidential election on the chin, and already started talking about how it will move on under the cloud of Donald Trump.

In case you missed it, Trump, a handsy inherited money man with a potty mouth and a loathing for people, is now what some people call the leader of the free world. There are plenty of folk who are concerned by this (see the Open Rights Group) but the technology wangs are putting a brave face on it.

Brad Smith, president and chief legal officer at Microsoft, explained that his company will keep its head down and carry on.

"Like so many people across the country, we woke up in Redmond, Washington this morning thinking about yesterday's election. And like so many Americans, regardless of who we supported through our vote, we strongly share the view that this is a time for the nation to come together," he said.

"Today is a day that finds some Americans celebrating and others commiserating about the electoral result. But it's also a day that reminds us of what makes the country special.

"It's a day that provides an opportunity to look beyond disagreements and divides, identify bold solutions to common problems, and find new ways to work together. It's a good time for all of us to listen and to learn from each other."

It's probably a good time for a hug too. Mark Zuckerberg, the boss of data chomping outfit Facebook, has considered the future in terms of his daughter and children everywhere.

"This work is bigger than any presidency, and progress does not move in a straight line," Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post.

"We are all blessed to have the ability to make the world better, and we have the responsibility to do it. Let's go work even harder."

That's Zuckerberg, though, who cares what he thinks. Tim Cook works for Apple and what Apple does is usually what the people like. Cook is a bit unsure about the new president, but he is presumably biting his tongue.

An email sent to Apple staffers seen by BuzzFeed shows Cook calling for some unity in the face of a threat that he apparently does not feel comfortable mentioning.

"We have a very diverse team of employees, including supporters of each of the candidates. Regardless of which candidate each of us supported as individuals, the only way to move forward is to move forward together," he wrote.

"I recall something Dr Martin Luther King Jr said 50 years ago: 'If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. But whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.'

"This advice is timeless, and a reminder that we only do great work and improve the world by moving forward.

"While there is discussion today about uncertainties ahead, you can be confident that Apple's North Star hasn't changed. Our products connect people everywhere, and they provide the tools for our customers to do great things to improve their lives and the world at large.

"Our company is open to all, and we celebrate the diversity of our team here in the US and around the world, regardless of what they look like, where they come from, how they worship or who they love."

Apple was criticised by Trump in his many rants, so it is possible that Cook is more obviously critical in private.

Not even the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) wants to mention Trump by name, and quite clearly has something of a problem with him.

"Many have contacted us with concerns about yesterday's election results. At this critical moment, we want digital civil liberties supporters worldwide to feel confident that the EFF remains steadfast in its mission and method: to use law and technology to champion civil liberties and provide a potent check against overreach," the EFF said in a blog post.

"The EFF has worked for 26 years to build a free and fair future. When civil liberties come under threat we challenge the powerful - from those in high office to perpetrators of common malice - to establish limits and protect people.

"We know that freedom and justice don't just materialise. They aren't automatic or made inevitable by technology. If we want our technologies - which today are woven throughout our communities, our laws, our culture, and our very lives - to support freedom and justice, we have to work for it. Hard. We have to fight."

So, a lot of looking forward from the organisations that will probably have to make a lot of concessions with their new leader, and more than a hint of pulling together and supporting each other as people. µ

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