Tech workers call for CEOs to speak up against ICE after the killing of Alex Pretti

The tech industry's top leaders have significant influence over the White House, but many have chosen to remain silent after a masked ICE agent killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. This incident occurred less than a month after federal agents also shot and killed Renee Good, sparking outrage among tech workers. Over 800 tech workers from companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon have signed a letter urging their CEOs to speak out against ICE's actions and demand that they leave US cities. The letter, organized by ICEout.tech, also calls on tech companies to end their contracts with ICE, citing AWS's data storage services and Motorola Solutions' contract to implement ICE's tactical communication infrastructure. Tech professionals are speaking out against ICE's brutality, and some are questioning the work their companies are doing with the Department of Homeland Security. Despite being promised a friendlier regulatory environment, tech CEOs have largely stayed silent throughout Trump's second term, but some notable figures have used their platforms to speak out. OpenAI's head of global business, James Dyett, noted that there is more outrage from tech leaders over a wealth tax than over ICE's actions, which he says reveals the industry's values. Other tech figures, such as Meredith Whittaker, Vinod Khosla, and Chris Olah, have also spoken out against ICE's actions, with some calling for humanity to transcend politics. The silence from some tech leaders has been met with criticism, with many arguing that they should use their influence to demand change. The situation has marked a tipping point, with some companies, including Target and UnitedHealth, issuing joint statements calling for deescalation of tensions, although their language has been criticized for being too tentative.