Tech Companies Respond to Charity Criticism
Silicon Valley tech companies have been under fire for not contributing to charity. Things are starting to change as more companies contribute to philanthropic causes, but their efforts may not be enough to help fix the issues they have caused. Displacement and gentrification have had huge effects on the area where tech companies have taken root. Last fall, protestors stood outside of Twitter headquarters in San Francisco with signs stating “people over profits,” “RIP Affordable Housing,” and “Twitter equals gentrification.” At the recent Tech Crunch awards, Twitter CEO, Dick Costolo, was hailed “CEO of the Year” by those attending inside and “Tax Evader of the Year” by the protestors outside. Investor, Ron Conway, acknowledged the protestors at the event stating, “we may not agree with everything the protestors outside have to say, but they do represent anxiety over a widening income gap. My message tonight is that we- that means all of us- must be leaders in tackling the challenges of housing, transportation, and education.” Conway is trying to lead the charge to improve the industry’s reputation. He is working with Mayor Ed Lee and others in the tech industry to use the power of the tech force “for civic action in San Francisco.” CEO marc Benioff has created a 1/1/1 plan in effort to promote philanthropy and volunteerism. Many tech companies like Google, Facebook, Airbnb, and other start-ups have reached out to Supervisor David Campos because they want “to fix the image problem tech has earned for itself in the Mission District.” Many feel that charity from tech companies is not enough. The tech industry and their employees have forced out working class families so they should be moving the legislative agenda for housing and displacement forward. They certainly have the influence, but will they follow through with results?
