• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechSalesforce

Salesforce, Microsoft, And IBM Criticize Mississippi Religious Liberty Law

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 5, 2016, 7:32 PM ET
Dreamforce 2015
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - SEPTEMBER 16: Marc Benioff speaks at the Salesforce keynote during Dreamforce 2015 at Moscone Center on September 16, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)Tim Mosenfelder — Getty Images

A Mississippi religious liberty bill that was signed into law on Tuesday has big technology companies fuming over its potential impact on gays, lesbians, and same-sex couples.

Salesforce (CRM), Microsoft (MSFT), and IBM (IBM) all tweeted criticism of the Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act.

The companies join gay-rights and human rights groups as well as the American Civil Liberties Union in attacking the law over its broad language, which could be used by business owners to use religious objections to deny same-sex couples wedding. Similar religious liberty bills have been proposed throughout the U.S. in states like Georgia and Virginia, although those two bills were vetoed last week.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

In its tweet, IBM said that it believes the new law will lead to discrimination against “people based on marriage status, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression.” In late March, IBM publicly criticized a North Carolina law that critics said would discriminate against transgender people.

Disappointing that Mississippi Gov @PhilBryantMS signed H.B. 1523. IBM strongly opposes this discriminatory bill. pic.twitter.com/BjGV8VQbzi

— IBMPolicy (@IBMpolicy) April 5, 2016

 

Microsoft’s chief legal officer Brad Smith said he was disappointed in the new Mississippi law.

Very disappointing to see the news from Mississippi. These laws are bad for people, bad for business, and bad for job growth. #HB1523

— Brad Smith (@BradSmi) April 5, 2016

 

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff also weighed in against the Mississippi law. He has been a vocal proponent against religious liberty laws and has threatened to cut back on Salesforce’s business in states in which they law has passed the legislature.

 

Salesforce, @Microsoft, and @IBM stand against @PhilBryantMS and Misssissippi anti-gay laws. https://t.co/OY2raq419L

— Marc Benioff (@Benioff) April 5, 2016

For more about Salesforce, watch:

Earlier in the day, Paypal said it had canceled plans to open a facility in Charlotte, N.C. for 400 employees after officials in that state passed a law that withdrew protections for transgender people to use public restrooms that match their gender identities.

Hey @PayPal – WA state and our #1 economy is open for business. We are proud to stand for inclusion and innovation. https://t.co/fUeUDiAnpF

— Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) April 5, 2016

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Woman holding a yellow umbrella that has become inverted in the wind.
NewslettersEye on AI
AI agents are getting more capable, but reliability is lagging—and that’s a problem
By Jeremy KahnMarch 24, 2026
59 minutes ago
Khosla gestures with both hands
AIElections
Billionaire OpenAI investor Vinod Khosla thinks 80% of jobs could vanish by 2030, and that ‘fear of AI’ put American politics in a chokehold
By Jacqueline MunisMarch 24, 2026
3 hours ago
Aravind Srinivas, wearing a white sweater, lifts both of his arms in front of him.
Future of WorkLabor
Perplexity CEO says AI layoffs aren’t so bad because people hate their jobs anyways: ‘That sort of glorious future is what we should look forward to’
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 24, 2026
4 hours ago
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink
EconomyInequality
Billionaire Larry Fink says you’re wrong to think that AI stealing your job is the big problem—it’s really about what it’s doing for his class
By Tristan BoveMarch 24, 2026
5 hours ago
boardroom
AIJobs
CFOs admit privately that AI layoffs will be 9x higher this year—and still a fraction of ‘doomsday’ predictions
By Jake AngeloMarch 24, 2026
5 hours ago
Alex Karp
SuccessCareers
Palantir’s billionaire CEO says only two kinds of people will succeed in the AI era: trade workers — ‘or you’re neurodivergent’
By Preston ForeMarch 24, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

Commentary
The Treasury just declared the U.S. insolvent. The media missed it
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
1 day ago
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of March 23, 2026
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
1 day ago
Economy
It took 200 years for national debt to hit $1 trillion. Annual interest alone now exceeds that—a 'crushing legacy we must reverse,' says budget chair
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
1 day ago
Economy
Larry Fink says today's economic anxiety stems from people increasingly feeling like capitalism isn't working for them
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
1 day ago
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, March 24, 2026
By Fortune EditorsMarch 24, 2026
9 hours ago
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of March 23, 2026
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.