So many tech companies have embraced a mission that they say is larger than profits. Once you wrap yourself up in a moral flag, you have to carry it to the top of other hills.
— Glenn Kelman, CEO of Redfin, telling the New York Times about Silicon Valley companies emergence as a driver of social change. Tech leaders have found their collective voice in the past week, the Times says, in opposing religious freedom laws in Indiana and Arkansas, including a Washington Post op-ed by Apple CEO Tim Cook calling the bills dangerous. It s a sign that Silicon Valley leaders are more confident in their roles as agents of change, experts say. The great success at companies such as Apple and Salesforce, in combination with more socially conscious CEOs, has made it easier to speak out, Harvard Business School Professor David B. Yoffie told the Times. Merc columnist Michelle Quinn agrees, noting Silicon Valley has been the epicenter for recent social issues such as gay rights, gender equality and workplace diversity.
At top: Demonstrators wave flags as they attend an anti-discrimination rally at the Arkansas state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark., Tuesday, March 31, 2015. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)
