Intel CEO Brian Krzanich has quit Trump’s advisory council, condemning the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville. The Charlottesville incident, which many believe has been inadequately handled by Trump administration, is being considered another serious dent in Trump’s first year of administration.
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich feels Trump’s response was soft
Trump’s statement calling out hate groups such as the KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists hardly deterred the CEO from putting forward his resignation. In a post on Monday, Krzanich said that he resigned from the council to bring attention to the serious harm that the “divided political” climate is doing to critical issues such as a drop in American manufacturing.
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich further stated that such political issues have “sidelined the important mission of rebuilding America’s manufacturing base.” In the wake of recent violence, Krzanich feels that the current environment should change; otherwise, America will become a shadow of what it was once.
Krzanich, who has been at the helm of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) for years now, indicated that the President took a weak stance against the recent rally and racist violence in Charlottesville that claimed lives of three.
“There should be no hesitation in condemning hate speech or white supremacy by name. #Intel asks all our countries leadership to do the same,” Intel CEO tweeted.
James Post, professor of management emeritus for the Questrom School of Business at Boston University, told Bloomberg that the value of an advisory council declines when reputed members leave over the issue of principles. Trump could have learned from the council, but now it seems that he only listens to them when they agree with his opinion, Post said.
CEOs do not approve of Trump’s policies
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich is the latest executive to withdraw from the President’s economic advisory board. Earlier on the same day, Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier resigned from the American Manufacturing Council. The resignation came after Trump stated that the violence in Charlottesville was instigated by neo-Nazis and white nationalists.
Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank also resigned on Monday, citing the initial response that came from Trump after the Charlottesville protests. Plank stated that he is quitting because his athletic wear company engages in innovation and sports and not politics.
It seems like an increasing number of industrialists do not agree with the attitudes Trump has toward different issues, both domestic and international. In June, Tesla Chief Elon Musk resigned from the council after Trump withdrew from the Paris Climate agreement. At that time, Musk stated that leaving the agreement was not good for America or the world.
A few months earlier, Hint Water Chief Executive Kara Goldin and Uber CEO Travis Kalanick also quit their advisory roles, opposing Trump’s executive order on immigration. The manufacturing council still has executives from Dow Chemical, Dell Technologies, General Electric, Campbell’s Soup and Boeing.
Nick Donatiello, a lecturer on governance topics at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, feels that CEOs who are quitting for various reasons should have anticipated Trump’s policies and attitudes because they were never hidden.