Zuckerberg loses two big backers for Fwd.US project following pro-oil ads
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg has lost two of his major financial backers for his Fwd.US project, which is pushing for immigration reform in the US, after it bankrolled adverts in the home states of a number of Senators who support the campaign, including those who advocate oil-drilling.
Silicon Valley leaders including LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman and Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer have joined Fwd.US to push for a path to citizenship for current illegal immigrants in the U.S. as well as making it easier for firms to hire talented tech experts from overseas.
However, many have criticised the group for making some unsavoury political deals in order to push its cause.
The month-old project was backed by CEO of electric car company Tesla Motors Elon Musk and Yammer creator David Sacks, both of whom have formally removed their support following adverts for certain “pro-oil” US Senators.
One advert for Senator Lindsay Graham promotes his support for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline and for Senator Mark Begich promotes his work advocating drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Preserve.
Musk said of the deal: “I agreed to support Fwd.us because there is a genuine need to reform immigration.
“However, this should not be done at the expense of other important causes. I have spent a lot of time fighting far larger lobbying organizations in D.C. and believe that the right way to win on a cause is to argue the merits of that cause. This statement may surprise some people, but my experience is that most (not all) politicians and their staffs want to do the right thing and eventually do.”
Reuters also reported that Yammer founder David Sacks removed his support although he has not made a public statement on his position.