Tech CEOs voice anger over George Floyd killing

Chuck Robbins, Tim Cook and Andy Jassy among those to voice their outrage as protests and clashes with police continue across the US

Tech CEOs have expressed their anger and outrage over the killing of George Floyd which has sparked protests and clashes with the police across the US.

Floyd's death in Minneapolis on 25 May has been met with worldwide outrage causing demonstrations and protests to errupt across at least 30 US cities over the weekend.

Leaders of Cisco, AWS and Apple among others have penned company-wide memos or taken to social media to express their outrage over the death of Floyd last Monday in a sign of solidarity with US black and minority communities.

Apple CEO Tim Cook sent a memo to employees on Sunday, describing Floyd's death as "shocking" and "senseless" while pointing to "a deeply rooted discrimination" in the US justice system.

"Right now, there is a pain deeply etched in the soul of our nation and in the hearts of millions. To stand together, we must stand up for one another, and recognise the fear, hurt, and outrage rightly provoked by the senseless killing of George Floyd and a much longer history of racism," the memo reads.

"That painful past is still present today — not only in the form of violence, but in the everyday experience of deeply rooted discrimination. We see it in our criminal justice system, in the disproportionate toll of disease on Black and Brown communities, in the inequalities in neighbourhood services and the educations our children receive. While our laws have changed, the reality is that their protections are still not universally applied."

Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins meanwhile issued a statement on Twitter and LinkedIn, where he said he is "frustrated by the lack of action or change" in the US system and described Floyd's death as "absolutely abhorrent."

"I am saddened and angry at the events we have seen unfold in the United States that have unfairly targeted African Americans and other people of colour in our communities," he said.

"This behaviour, these actions and this injustice are abhorrent and we cannot - and will not - tolerate them. People across the globe, who are already facing the worst health crisis of a lifetime, are now painfully reminded about the racial divide, xenophobia and inequality that remains all too prevalent today."

AWS CEO Andy Jassy meawhile took to Twitter to criticise political leaders and the US justice system.

"What will it take for us to refuse to accept these unjust killings of black people? How many people must die, how many generations must endure, how much eyewitness video is required? What else do we need? We need better than what we're getting from courts and political leaders," his Twitter post reads.

Meanwhile its parent company Amazon posted a brief statement on LinkedIn calling for action against the mistreatment of black people in the US.

"The inequitable and brutal treatment of Black people in our country must stop. Together we stand in solidarity with the Black community - our employees, customers and partners - in the fight against systemic racism and injustice," it reads.

On Friday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also passed comment on the events that took place Minneapolis, claiming that racism is a "far too often the experience and reality in daily lives, particularly for the Black and African American community".

I know it's not enough to just have empathy for those impacted, for the communities who are experiencing this hate, first hand, who are scared for their safety, and for their loved ones.

"Our identity, our very existence is rooted in empowering everyone on the planet. So, therefore, it's incumbent upon us to use our platforms, our resources, to drive that systemic change, right? That's the real challenge here. It's not just any one incident, but it's all the things that have led to the incident that absolutely need to change," he said.