What tech CEOs and executives have said about ICE’s actions in Minnesota

The Trump administration’s immigration enforcement approach has escalated to a level of violence that many in the tech industry say can no longer be ignored. So far in 2026, federal immigration agents have killed at least eight people, including at least two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis — Renee Good and Alex Pretti. As immigration enforcement has intensified — including the detention of schoolchildren seeking legal asylum — tech workers have increasingly urged industry leaders to speak out publicly.

The technology sector has long been intertwined with politics and government power. Companies such as Palantir, Clearview AI, Flock, and Paragon hold contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and provide technology that supports immigration enforcement operations. At the same time, President Donald Trump’s ties to the tech world have grown stronger since taking office. Elon Musk ran a government agency for several months, and influential Silicon Valley investor David Sacks now leads a presidential advisory board on technology. CEOs of some of the largest tech companies — including Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, and Sundar Pichai — were seated prominently at Trump’s inauguration and have remained publicly aligned with him.

“We know our industry leaders have leverage: in October, they persuaded Trump to call off a planned ICE surge in San Francisco,” wrote ICEout.tech in a statement on January 24, the day Alex Pretti was killed. “Big tech CEOs are in the White House tonight,” the group added, referencing a screening of a Melania Trump documentary attended by Cook, Andy Jassy, and Eric Yuan. “Now they need to go further, and join us in demanding ICE out of all of our cities.”

Since then, several prominent tech leaders have spoken out, drawing a range of reactions from employees and peers. Below is an ongoing summary of statements made by significant figures in the industry.

Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn

Reid Hoffman, a prominent Democratic donor, published an opinion piece in the San Francisco Standard on January 29, urging Silicon Valley to abandon political neutrality following the Minnesota killings.

“We in Silicon Valley can’t bend the knee to Trump,” Hoffman wrote. “We can’t shrink away and just hope the crisis will fade. We know now that hope without action is not a strategy — it’s an invitation for Trump to trample whatever he can see, including our own business and security interests.”

Hoffman said he was encouraged by the growing number of tech leaders speaking out, calling it “a good start to something America needs much more of right now.” He added that regardless of political affiliation, “you almost surely did not want this.”

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI

Sam Altman had strongly opposed Trump’s policies during the president’s first term, but has taken a more measured tone under the current administration as OpenAI works with the U.S. government on AI infrastructure projects, including the massive $500 billion Stargate initiative.

In an internal Slack message to staff following Pretti’s death, first reported by The New York Times, Altman said: “What’s happening with ICE is going too far. There is a big difference between deporting violent criminals and what’s happening now, and we need to get the distinction right.”

He added that Trump is “a powerful leader” and expressed hope that the president would “rise to this moment and unite the country.” Altman also cautioned against performative politics, saying OpenAI would focus on “actually do[ing] the right thing as best as we can.”

Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic

During an interview with NBC, anchor Tom Llamas questioned Dario Amodei about defence-related work in light of recent events. Anthropic has contracts with the U.S. Department of Defence and has partnered with Palantir on specific defence projects.

Amodei stressed that Anthropic has no contracts with ICE and emphasised the importance of protecting democratic values. “We need to be really careful about making sure democracies are worth defending,” he said. “We need to defend our own democratic values at home.”

He also referenced ICE raids in Minneapolis in a post on X, calling the situation “the horror we’re seeing in Minnesota.”

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple

Tim Cook addressed Apple employees in an internal memo dated January 27.

“This is a time for de-escalation,” Cook wrote, adding that he had spoken directly with Trump and appreciated the president’s willingness to engage on issues of concern.

Meredith Whittaker, president of Signal

Meredith Whittaker, president of Signal, has been among the most outspoken tech leaders on the issue.

“I want everyone in tech who’s ever intoned about freedom, or their love of privacy, or their commitment to liberty, to join me in an unequivocal condemnation,” Whittaker wrote on X. In another post, she said masked federal agents were “executing people in the streets” and called on industry leaders to stand up for their professed values.

Tony Stubblebine, CEO of Medium

Tony Stubblebine shared screenshots on Threads of an internal message explaining why Medium would allow employees to participate in a nationwide general strike if they chose.

Stubblebine wrote that he was struggling with what he saw unfolding in Minneapolis and described the challenge of balancing business responsibilities with moral clarity. He also noted Medium’s responsibility as a platform, pointing out that it does not allow hateful or racist content.

Jeff Dean, chief scientist at Google DeepMind

Jeff Dean reacted publicly to the killings in Minnesota, calling them “absolutely shameful” in a post on X.

He condemned federal agents for escalating a situation that led to the killing of Alex Pretti, writing that “every person,n regardless of political affiliation,n should be denouncing this.”

James Dyett, head of global business at OpenAI

James Dyett criticised what he described as misplaced outrage within the tech sector.

“There is far more outrage from tech leaders over a wealth tax than masked ICE agents terrorising communities and executing civilians in the streets,” Dyett wrote on X, adding that it revealed “the values of our industry.”

Keith Rabois, Ethan Choi, and Vinod Khosla, Khosla Ventures

At Khosla Ventures, partner Keith Rabois publicly supported ICE and the administration’s actions, sparking backlash. One founder said they would return Khosla Ventures’ funding if Rabois were involved, calling his comments an embarrassment.

Fellow partner Ethan Choi responded publicly, clarifying that Rabois’s views did not reflect those of the entire firm and calling the Minnesota killing “plain wrong.”

Firm founder Vinod Khosla echoed that sentiment, describing ICE agents as “macho vigilantes runningamokk” and saying humanity should transcend politics. Khosla also publicly agreed with Hoffman that more tech leaders need to speak out against the administration’s actions.