Dive Brief:
- Some IBM employees took to the Internet to express their displeasure over CEO Ginni Rometty’s open letter to President-elect Donald Trump, says Fortune. The employees uploaded a petition online, chiding IBM’s chief for reaching out to Trump, whose racist attitudes they say run counter to the company’s embrace of diversity and multiculturalism.
- Leading the petition is Daniel Hanley, a software engineer with a specialty in cybersecurity. He told Fortune that the letter to Trump sends the wrong message about IBM’s values and that, as someone who knows how information can be used maliciously, he’s concerned about the controlling of targeted citizens through monitoring and surveillance.
- Rometty’s letter to Trump was to get his cooperation in creating what she called “new collar” jobs, which require specialized skills but not necessarily a college degree.
Dive Insight:
The IBM workers took a bold step in circulating an online petition in opposition of Rometty’s letter to Trump. However, it might be premature for such actions. Trump doesn’t take office until Jan. 20, and Congress hasn’t approved his cabinet appointees.
IBM has been criticized in the past for outsourcing jobs. Setting Trump’s attitude about inclusiveness aside, Rometty might have felt it necessary to publicly announce the creation of 25,000 jobs to counteract criticism over outsourcing American jobs. Either way, watching the new administration's interaction with the private sector will be important for employers nationwide.
