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

IBM’s CEO Disagrees With President Trump But Will Remain By His Side

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 2, 2017, 6:49 PM ET
IBM's Rometty gives a keynote address during the 2016 CES trade show in Las Vegas
Ginni Rometty, chairman, president and CEO of IBM, gives a keynote address during the 2016 CES trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 6, 2016. REUTERS/Steve Marcus - RTX21CCSSteve Marcus — Reuters

IBM CEO Ginni Rometty will remain on President Donald Trump’s business advisory council despite disagreeing with the administration’s stance on the environment.

Her decision is in contrast to a few other of the group’s members who stepped down in protest on Thursday immediately after President Trump decided to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. Those executives were Elon Musk, CEO of electric-car maker Tesla (TSLA), who said that “Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world;” and Disney CEO Robert Iger, who said he would resign as “a matter of principle.”

Trump created the group, called the President’s Strategic and Policy Forum, shortly after being elected so he could get advice from the business world about creating jobs and lifting the economy. The group has since met in February and April.

As a matter of principle, I've resigned from the President's Council over the #ParisAgreement withdrawal.

— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) June 1, 2017

Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk shared Iger’s sentiment, saying:

Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 1, 2017

IBM (IBM) was also dismayed with Trump’s decision, saying that it supports “U.S. participation in the Paris Agreement,” and that it plans to “continue its decades-long work to reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions and will continue to help our clients do so as well.” But the difference of opinions with the White House were not enough for Rometty to pull out.

The business technology giant told various media outlets this week that it believes “there is value” in engaging with the White House.

“We believe we can make a constructive contribution by having a direct dialogue with the Administration — as we do with governments around the world,” IBM said in a statement.

Some of the organizations that are also staying on board Trump’s business council include General Motors (GM), the Cleveland Clinic, Wal-Mart Stores (WMT), and investment firm Blackrock.

Fortune contacted IBM to elaborate on the company’s position and will update this story if it responds.

For more about technology and finance, watch:

In February, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick resigned from the president’s business council after receiving intense criticism for his participation in light of Trump’s restrictive immigration policies.

Separately, several high-profile tech companies like Apple, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Salesforce, Google, and Facebook that are not member of the business council wrote a public letter to the White House calling on administration support the Paris agreement. The firms, which did not include IBM, bought full-page ads in The New York Times, The New York Post, and The Wall Street Journal in the days before Trump announced his decision.

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

BLM
Cybersecurityfraud
Black Lives Matter leader in Oklahoma City indicted on claims she used funds for vacations, groceries and real estate
By Sean Murphy and The Associated PressDecember 12, 2025
17 minutes ago
broker
BankingData centers
AI data center boom sparks fears of glut amid lending frenzy
By Neil Callanan, Paula Seligson and BloombergDecember 12, 2025
21 minutes ago
Donald Trump
AIElections
AI is powering Trump’s economy, but American voters are getting worried
By Mark Niquette, Nancy Cook and BloombergDecember 12, 2025
26 minutes ago
SuccessHow I made my first million
Hinge CEO says he bribed students with KitKats to get the $550 million-a-year business off the ground: ‘I had to beg and borrow a lot’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleDecember 12, 2025
56 minutes ago
AIdigital transformation
How classic digital transformation lessons apply to AI—and what’s different this time around
By Sage LazzaroDecember 12, 2025
1 hour ago
Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne's signatures on the bottom of Apple's founding contract.
SuccessWealth
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne sold his 10% stake for $800 in 1976—today it’d be worth up to $400 billion
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
1 hour ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
At 18, doctors gave him three hours to live. He played video games from his hospital bed—and now, he’s built a $10 million-a-year video game studio
By Preston ForeDecember 10, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Palantir cofounder calls elite college undergrads a ‘loser generation’ as data reveals rise in students seeking support for disabilities, like ADHD
By Preston ForeDecember 11, 2025
24 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Investing
Baby boomers have now 'gobbled up' nearly one-third of America's wealth share, and they're leaving Gen Z and millennials behind
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 8, 2025
4 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
‘We have not seen this rosy picture’: ADP’s chief economist warns the real economy is pretty different from Wall Street’s bullish outlook
By Eleanor PringleDecember 11, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Uncategorized
Transforming customer support through intelligent AI operations
By Lauren ChomiukNovember 26, 2025
16 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Tariffs are taxes and they were used to finance the federal government until the 1913 income tax. A top economist breaks it down
By Kent JonesDecember 12, 2025
5 hours ago
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
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • 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
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 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.