Cook, Nadella and Pichai stand together in support of racial equality

Apple, which had to shut a majority of retail stores in the US after the protests against the killing of African-American George Floyd in police custody turned violent, has come out in support of racial equality. Leaders of other prominent technology firms such as Microsoft and Google also spoke out.

Tim Cook, chief executive of Apple, in a memo to employees, said: “That painful past is still present — not only in the form of violence but in the everyday experience of deeply rooted discrimination.”

“While our laws have changed, the reality is that their protections are still not universally applied. To stand together, we must stand up for one another, and recognise the fear, hurt, and outrage rightly provoked by the senseless killing of George Floyd and a much longer history of racism,” he said in the memo.