Trump's Paris accord exit: Musk, Zuckerberg, Cook, Pichai rail against move

The US tech giants are wary of any backlash on their global businesses, reports Tech in Asia

US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris accord – a global climate deal worked out after years of tough negotiation – has left many Americans aghast. Leaders of US tech giants have come out in open criticism of the pullout.

Tesla’s Elon Musk tweeted that he’s quitting the president’s advisory councils.

Disney CEO Robert Iger followed suit hours after Musk.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was unequivocal in his criticism, saying Trump has “put our children’s future at risk” in a Facebook post.


 

Last week, in an address at his alma mater, Harvard, he had urged students to find a purpose that would be generation-defining: “How about stopping climate change before we destroy the planet?” he asked.

Apple CEO Tim Cook says in a letter to his employees that he tried in vain to persuade Trump not to go back on the promises the US had made to cut greenhouse gas emissions under the accord.

“I know many of you share my disappointment with the White House’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement. I spoke with President Trump on Tuesday and tried to persuade him to keep the US in the agreement. But it wasn’t enough,” says the letter.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai expressed similar sentiments.


 

Apart from their concerns over the impact of this decision on the environment, the US tech giants will also have to keep an eye out for any backlash on their global businesses spread across multiple countries.

A number of them had taken out full-page ads in leading US newspapers, urging the president to reconsider the decision to pull out.
 

This is an excerpt from the article published on Tech In Asia. You can read the full article here