Penning a note to Microsoft employees, Satya Nadella asserted that human existence was rooted in empowering everyone on the planet. In his note, he asked people to have empathy for those who were scared and uncertain. Nadella wrote that everyday racism, bias, and hatred were not new adding that it was ‘reality in daily lives’ particularly for the black and African American community.
Nadella's Microsoft also said they will be using the platform to amplify voices from the Black and African American community at the company.
Nadella's response comes a day after Google CEO Sunder Pichai and Apple's CEO Tim Cook condemned George Floyd's death and expressed solidarity with the protesters.
Google and YouTube on Sunday put a black ribbon on its home page in the US, showing solidarity for protests against the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in police custody. "We stand in support of racial equality, and all those who search for it," the message read on the Google home page.
The same message was also placed on the US home page of Google-owned YouTube and Alphabet.
Apple CEO Tim Cook also condemned the racial killings and stressed that right now, there is a pain deeply etched in the soul of the nation and in the hearts of millions.
"To stand together, we must stand up for one another, and recognize the fear, hurt, and outrage rightly provoked by the senseless killing of George Floyd and a much longer history of racism," Cook said in a memo to employees.
"That painful past is still present today, not only in the form of violence but in the everyday experience of deeply rooted discrimination," he added.
Cook said that there has been progress since America he grew up in, "but it is similarly true that communities of colour continue to endure discrimination and trauma".
“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 recognize 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.
Many Apple employees have raised concerns about discrimination, according to the memo. “I have heard from so many of you that you feel afraid — afraid in your communities, afraid in your daily lives, and, most cruelly of all, afraid in your own skin. We’ve strived to build an Apple that is inclusive of everyone. At Apple, our mission has and always will be to create technology that empowers people to change the world for the better,” Cook said.
Violent protests have engulfed at least 140 cities across the US in the days following the death of Floyd and at least 40 cities are under curfew
The white police officer who killed Geroge Floyd has been fired, and on Friday was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.