Apple CEO Tim Cook Blasts Indiana Religious-Objection Law

Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Associated Press

The technology industry is mounting an offensive against states that have passed, or are considering, bills that could allow discrimination against gays and others.
Last week, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed into law a bill that set a legal framework for those who claim that government antidiscrimination rules hamper their religion freedom. The law has prompted concern among civil rights leaders and others that it allows businesses to discriminate against people who are offend business owners’ or employees’ religious beliefs.
Indiana moved on Monday to address the criticism by clarifying the law. State officials said they were drafting legislation to ensure the religious-objections bill would not result in discrimination, including the denial of services based on sexual orientation or identity.
Another religious-objections bill passed the Arkansas Senate last week and will return to the state House of Representatives, which passed it in February, for final approval before it heads to the governor.
The latest objection from the technology industry came on Sunday in the form of an op-ed in the Washington Post byApple Chief Executive Tim Cook.
“These bills rationalize injustice by pretending to defend something many of us hold dear. They go against the very principles our nation was founded on, and they have the potential to undo decades of progress toward greater equality,” Cook wrote.
“Our message, to people around the country and around the world, is this: Apple is open. Open to everyone, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, how they worship or who they love. Regardless of what the law might allow in Indiana or Arkansas, we will never tolerate discrimination.”
Cook’s op-ed came on the heels of similar objections from other technology executives. Salesforce Inc. CEO Marc Benioff said Thursday on Twitter that that his company had canceled programs requiring employees and customers to travel to Indiana.
Mr. Benioff, together with six other technology company executives, addressed Gov. Pence in a letter Wednesday, saying the legislation would make it difficult to attract talent in their sector to the state.
Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman penned an “open letter to states considering imposing discrimination laws” on that company’s website Thursday, saying the laws “set a terrible precedent.” Mr. Stoppelman wrote, “It is unconscionable to imagine that Yelp would create, maintain, or expand a significant business presence in any state that encouraged discrimination by businesses against our employees, or consumers at large.”
Last year, the Arizona Legislature passed a measure that would have allowed business owners to deny service to gay customers based on the owners’ religious beliefs. Apple said it asked then-Gov. Jan Brewer to veto the bill. At the time, Apple had committed to help pay for a manufacturing site in the state for one of its suppliers. Brewer eventually vetoed the bill.
In his op-ed, Cook, who last year announced he is gay, said that such legislation hurts jobs, growth and economic vibrancy in “parts of the country where a 21st-century economy was once welcomed with open arms.” He identified North Carolina and Nevada – two states where Apple recently built state-of-the-art data centers using renewable energy – as places where similar bills have been proposed.
“This isn’t a political issue. It isn’t a religious issue. This is about how we treat each other as human beings,” Cook wrote. “Opposing discrimination takes courage. With the lives and dignity of so many people at stake, it’s time for all of us to be courageous.”
Joshua Zumbrun and Erica E. Phillips contributed to this article.