Apple CEO Tim Cook, OpenAI Chief Sam Altman Join Corporate Chorus Against Minneapolis Violence

• Cook wrote to Apple employees, saying he was ‘heartbroken’ by the recent events in Minneapolis and that he had discussed the issue with the President.
• Altman, using a stern tone in his internal communication, called the crackdown an overreach by the federal officers.
• More than 60 CEOs have signed a statement calling for a de-escalation.

Apple CEO Tim Cook and OpenAI boss Sam Altman became the latest American executives to express concern over the increasing violence related to Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, which led to at least two civilian deaths in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Federal agents shot and killed a protester – ICU nurse Alex Pretti – in Minneapolis over the weekend, the second such incident after a woman was fatally shot in a separate confrontation in the city previously. 

The incidents have sparked widespread outrage across the U.S., prompting support for local residents from organizations like the National Basketball Players Association. More than 60 CEOs have signed a statement calling for a de-escalation, while 450 employees from major corporations like Alphabet, Meta, and Salesforce have moved a letter urging their top executives to pressure the White House to withdraw Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers from U.S. cities.

In an internal email, as reported by Bloomberg, Cook said he was “heartbroken” by the events in Minneapolis and had recently discussed the issue with Trump. “I had a good conversation with the president this week where I shared my views, and I appreciate his openness to engaging on issues that matter to us all,” Cook wrote.

Altman, too, addressed the issue in an internal Slack communication to OpenAI employees, Reuters reported on Tuesday. "What's happening with ICE is going too far," Altman wrote, per Reuters. "There is a big difference between deporting violent criminals and what's happening now, and we need to get the distinction right."

The executive said he is supportive of the U.S. and its values of democracy and freedom, “but part of loving the country is the American duty to push back against overreach."

“I hope he (Trump) will rise to this moment and unite the country,” Altman wrote.

Over the past year, Trump has launched an aggressive immigration enforcement campaign that has dramatically expanded ICE and Border Patrol operations nationwide, leading to a surge in arrests and confrontations. That crackdown — part of operations like Operation Metro Surge in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area — has coincided with multiple fatal encounters with civilians.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

Read Next: Amazon Hit By Layoff Email Blunder? Leaked 'Project Dawn' Details Spark Online Backlash

Share

·

Add us on