Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein left a voicemail for employees on Sunday saying that the bank did not support President Donald Trump’s recent immigration ban. Blankfein quoted from the company’s principles, telling employees, “Being diverse is not optional; it is what we must be.”
The exec joins a litany of other CEOs, largely from the tech industry, to criticize the president’s travel order—with varying degrees of alarm. Several spoke out on Twitter, while others, including fellow bank CEO Jamie Dimon, have issued memos to staff stressing their commitment to employees affected by the action.
Read Blankfein’s full remarks below.
This is Lloyd. The President has issued an executive order that, generally, bans individuals from seven different countries from entering the United States and freezes the broader refugee program. This is not a policy we support, and I would note that it has already been challenged in federal court, and some of the order has been enjoined at least temporarily.
If the order were to become or remain effective, I recognize that there is potential for disruption to the firm, and especially to some of our people and their families. I want to assure all of you that we will work to minimize such disruption to the extent we can within the law and are focused on supporting our colleagues and their families who may be affected.
Let me close by quoting from our business principles: “For us to be successful, our men and women must reflect the diversity of the communities and cultures in which we operate. That means we must attract, retain and motivate people from many backgrounds and perspectives. Being diverse is not optional; it is what we must be.” Now is a fitting time to reflect on those words and the principles that underlie them.
