Tinder founder speaks out on Trump's Muslim ban saying tech giants have 'responsibility' to respond
Tinder chairman and founder, Sean Rad, has said tech companies have a responsibility to "do good for users and society," in wake of Donald Trump's travel ban.
Tinder chairman Sean Radd has said tech firms have a 'responsibility' to speak out / Tinder
Rad, whose parents are originally from Iran, told Mashable the issue could not be ignored, saying: "There are much better ways, I think, to approach the problems around immigration."
Some of Silicon Valley's biggest names have come out in force against the president's 120 day travel ban on citizens from seven Middle Eastern countries which was issued over the weekend and quickly become known as a 'Muslim ban' across social media.
Yesterday evening, more than 2000 Google employees across eight global offices staged a protest over Trump's lockdown. Meanwhile Amazon, Microsoft and Expedia are joining forces with the Washington state government to fight against the former Apprentice host's executive order joining smaller firms who are taking similar aciton.
"I'm happy that the American people are free to speak up against things that they disagree with, even when your president does it," Rad added. "No one's perfect. No organisation, not even your president — what matters is that they're listening."
The Tinder chief executive turned chairman conceded that any company representing large groups of people had a responsibility to speak out, saying: "We have these large platforms, and I think we have a responsibility to do good for our users and society."
Mark Zuckerberg, Airbnb's Brian Chesky, Nike and Apple chief executive Tim Cook have all condemned the president's actions, with some brands even offering free services to those affected.
South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival has also disowned the policy, mindful that it could have an impact on who can attend this year’s gathering in Austin, Texas.
The legality of Trump's order was questioned yesterday (30 January) by acting US attorney general Sally Yates who has since been fired by the White House for ordering justice department lawyers not to enforce it.