Oracle Exec Resigns Over CEO’s Support For Donald Trump

A senior executive at software giant Oracle has resigned and publicly denounced co CEO Safra Catz for her support of Presidential Elect Donald Trump.

Catz has joined the Trump transition team, a decision which infuriated Oracle executive George Polisner, 57.

“I plan to tell the President-elect that we are with him and are here to help in any way we can,” Catz was previously quoted by the Washington Post as saying. “If he can reform the tax code, reduce regulation, and negotiate better trade deals, the US technology community will be stronger and more competitive than ever.”

Hate Monger?

But Catz’s support for Trump, and her decision to join the Trump transition team, prompted Oracle’s George Polisner to resign and write a scathing resignation letter which he posted on LinkedIn.

Polisner has worked at Oracle since 1993 and for the last four years has worked at Oracle’s managed cloud services team.

“Trump stokes fear, hatred and violence toward people of colour, Muslims and immigrants,” wrote Polisner. “It is well-known that hate crimes are surging as he has provided license for this ignorance-based expression of malice.”

Polisner alleged that Trump is seeking to dismantle social security and medicare, and will “eviscerate environmental protections, the public education system, LGBTQ rights and women’s rights.”

He also criticised Trump’s tax and economic policies, which he said would exacerbate “an alarming growth of wealth inequality in America.”

“I am not with President-elect Trump and I am not here to help him in any way,” thundered Polisner. “In fact –when his policies border on the unconstitutional, the criminal and the morally unjust –I am here to oppose him in every possible and legal way. Therefore I must resign from this once great company.”

It should be noted that Polisner is actively politically, and has previously been a chair of the Democratic central committee in his home county in Oregon.

Silicon Valley

There is little doubt that most tech leaders in Silicon Valley would rather not have Donald Trump as the next President of the United States. Also he does have some tech supporters.

Indeed the US tech sector posted an open letter to Donald Trump before the US election in which it made clear its opposition to Trump.

The open letter was signed by more than 100 of Silicon Valley’s top brass, and it pleaded with America to refrain from voting for Trump.

But Trump of course won the election, and last week he met with technology leaders including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Alphabet CEO Larry Page, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.

But significant differences remain between Trump and Silicon Valley.

Trump has previously chastised Apple for outsourcing manufacturing to China. Trump has also criticised Apple over its refusal to help US justice officials gain access to an encrypted iPhone connected to a high-profile investigation.

Trump also wants tech companies to install back-doors making communications accessible to law enforcement,

Do you know all about security in 2016? Try our quiz!