Apple, Microsoft CEOs Call for End to Racism After Charleston Shooting

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection on February 13, 2015 in Stanford, California.
Justin Sullivan—Getty Images
By Claire Groden / Fortune
June 22, 2015

In the wake of last week’s shooting at a church in Charleston, S.C., that left nine dead, some voices that rarely pipe up on national issues resounded across social media: those of Silicon Valley CEOs.

Over the weekend, executives from Salesforce, Apple, Microsoft, and other tech companies took to Twitter to express condolences for the victims’ families. And some took it even further, joining some politicians to call for South Carolina to take down the Confederate flag that flies in the capital.

I agree @MittRomney: Take down the #ConfederateFlag at the SC Capitol. To many, it is a symbol of racial hatred. Remove to honor victims.

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— Marc Benioff (@Benioff) June 20, 2015

Mark Zuckerberg, of course, took to Facebook to express solidarity with Charleston. “Hope can overcome hate,” he wrote. But Slack’s CEO Stewart Butterfield certainly takes the cake for being the most outspoken in the Silicon Valley bubble. Butterfield took issue with a Wall Street Journal editorial on the tragedy, which said that the shooting was not rooted in racism. This is Butterfield’s first tweet, and the rest is here.

🕛 So! I’ve had a day to let it sink in, but this preposterous @wsj editorial! http://t.co/olnPohiYgH “a problem that defies explanation”

— Stewart Butterfield (@stewart) June 22, 2015

Witness Charleston's Grief After 9 Killed in Church Race Attack
Surreace Cox, of North Charleston, S.C., holds a sign during a prayer vigil down the street from the Emanuel AME Church early on June 18, 2015, following a shooting Wednesday night in Charleston, S.C.
Surreace Cox, of North Charleston, S.C., holds a sign during a prayer vigil down the street from the Emanuel AME Church early on June 18, 2015, following a shooting Wednesday night in Charleston, S.C.
David Goldman—AP
Charleston police officers search for a shooting suspect outside the Emanuel AME Church, in Charleston, S.C. on June 17, 2015.
Charleston police officers search for a shooting suspect outside the Emanuel AME Church, in Charleston, S.C. on June 17, 2015.
Matthew Fortner—The Post And Courier/AP
The steeple of Emanuel AME Church is visible as police close off a section of Calhoun Street early on June 18, 2015 following a shooting Wednesday night in Charleston, S.C.
The steeple of Emanuel AME Church is visible as police close off a section of Calhoun Street early on June 18, 2015 following a shooting Wednesday night in Charleston, S.C.
David Goldman—AP
A man kneels across the street from where police gather outside the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting in Charleston, S.C. on June 17, 2015.
A man kneels across the street from where police gather outside the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting in Charleston, S.C. on June 17, 2015.
Wade Spees—AP
Worshippers gather to pray down the street from the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting in Charleston, S.C. on June 17, 2015.
Worshippers gather to pray down the street from the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting in Charleston, S.C. on June 17, 2015.
David Goldman—AP
A passing motorist looks out her window as she stops at an intersection down the street from the Emanuel AME Church early on June 18, 2015 following a shooting Wednesday night in Charleston, S.C.
A passing motorist looks out her window as she stops at an intersection down the street from the Emanuel AME Church early on June 18, 2015 following a shooting Wednesday night in Charleston, S.C.
David Goldman—AP
An FBI agent walks across the street from the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting in Charleston, S.C. on June 17, 2015.
An FBI agent walks across the street from the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting in Charleston, S.C. on June 17, 2015.
David Goldman—AP
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