After the riot in the Capitol, Twitter Inc. President Trump’s social media account. Publisher Simon & Schuster canceled a book by Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.), who challenged the Electoral College presidential race results, and Airbnb Inc. said it would block people involved in the violence from booking. Rooms. Stripe Inc. has stopped processing direct payments from Mr Trump’s campaign website.
Marriott International Inc. companies to Walmart Inc. stopped donations to dozens of Republican lawmakers who voted against certifying the Electoral College’s votes, while a few others demanded restitution.
“Words alone are not enough. We are committed to action, ”wrote Jim Fitterling, CEO of Dow Inc. and up to six for senators.
It was a long way from the days when companies strived to appear apolitical, and embodied – if not always – the late economist Milton Friedman’s view that “the business of business is business.”
“We’re seeing a confluence of social issues that were previously outside the realm that business leaders would comment on,” said Judy Samuelson, founder and executive director of the Business and Society Program at the Aspen Institute, a think tank, and author of “The Six New Rules of Business ”, which addresses such shifts. “The rule of thumb was that if there is no direct connection to our business model or anything dear to us, we are basically staying away from politics.”