Texas Abortion Law Tech Companies

Texas Abortion Law Tech Companies

With the Supreme Court`s decision this week not to block Texas` effective abortion ban, fears have rightly focused on people in Texas who will be almost completely banned from abortion in the state, and providers who will face serious legal consequences for continuing to provide services there. Neil Malhotra, a professor of political economy at Stanford Business School, has conducted research showing that employees are attracted to companies that share their values. When companies recognize that an issue is important to highly skilled employees, he says, they are more likely to speak up. But most high-skilled tech workers are men, and these highly-skilled tech workers have better access to health care and fewer unplanned pregnancies, so restrictions on abortion may be less noticeable. “With well-educated, high-income staff, there could be theoretical reasons why they would care less about abortion than other social issues,” Malhotra says. From Facebook fundraisers to Google ads, tech companies could be asked to hand over user data in court cases caused by Texas law. Years ago, companies were reluctant to speak out on LGBTQ issues, says Shelley Alpern, director of corporate engagement for investment firm Rhia Ventures, which files shareholder resolutions in favor of reproductive rights. “Part of what made them move away from that taboo was that their employees started talking about LGBTQ affinity groups,” she says. “It made a big difference, because I think business leaders realized that this was not an abstract issue. This has a real impact on employees.

The Texas Association of Businesses, Texas Chamber of Commerce leaders and the Greater Houston Partnership declined to comment or did not respond to questions about abortion restriction proposals in the Republican letter. Technology employees have a mixed view of these policies. This summer, the news surveyed 1,500 Silicon Valley technologists and found that 54 percent would not work at a company that bans political speech in the workplace — but the remaining 46 percent had no problem doing so. “Previously, technology, in particular, was quite liberal, and so banning liberal opinions would almost be like restricting free speech, and people would be outraged,” Martha Josephson, a recruiter, told Information. “Today, the people I talk to are a little relieved that politics is banned, and that`s because things have become so confrontational.” Fourteen Republican lawmakers have warned Lyft that they will seek to ban companies that pay for abortions from doing business in Texas. The extent of support for the idea is unclear. While other companies and their executives need more than a day to deal with the effects of such an unprecedented law, they won`t be able to ignore these issues forever, especially when it comes to user data. The question of whether to meet the demands for this type of data may be hypothetical now, but it won`t take long. Since then, tech companies have denounced anti-LGBTQ laws, pledged support for Black Lives Matter, and called for restrictions on voting rights. But while states restrict abortion and the Supreme Court considers repealing Roe v. Wade, Apple and other big tech companies have been significantly quieter. The contrast is most evident in Texas, which introduced a law effectively banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy in September, just as tech companies were pouring into the state.

Tech platforms that receive these subpoenas could also retaliate. And it is possible that they will. These same companies have always insisted that the only incentive for them to share data is a subpoena, court order, warrant, or other valid legal mechanism. They praise this policy as if to say, “Your data is safe with us, except in extreme circumstances.” But the Texas bill represents another kind of extreme circumstance — one in which the law is so broad and ambitious that yesterday`s plea could be tomorrow`s trial. That`s what Sparrer`s companies and others are betting on at the job fair, which begins Nov. 4. “It won`t be immediate, but very soon there will be a growing disinterest in moving to Texas,” Sparrer says. “We want to show that companies are being rewarded for opposing this abortion law.” In recent years, Texas has sold itself as a tech paradise, attracting startups and tech giants like Oracle, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and even Elon Musk, the billionaire Tesla co-founder and CEO who moved to the state. Big tech companies like Facebook, Amazon, and Apple have all expanded their presence in the state, opening new warehouses, data centers, and manufacturing facilities.

Some Texas-based tech companies have been quick to react to what is essentially an abortion ban, realizing it could have a significant impact on recruiting and retaining talent in the future. For now, there is no sign that the new law will initiate a reversal of the trend that has prompted tens of thousands of tech workers from California and other states to move to Texas in recent years. Yet the evolution of politics in Texas is prompting some individual tech workers — a traditionally politically progressive industry — to rethink life in the Lone Star State, whether or not their companies have offered to relocate them. Many companies don`t have software engineers with the expertise to design systems that can process a large number of models or respond to millions of decision requests in a fraction of a second, said Abhishek Gupta, founder and principal investigator at Montreal`s AI Ethics Institute and senior AI lead and expert at the Boston Consulting Group. Since some supporters fear that the 49. The Anniversary of Roe v. Wade will be her last, as pressure mounts on corporations to help protect abortion rights, both from interest groups and workers themselves. By accessing banking services such as fee-free savings and checking accounts, remittances, lending services, and mobile payments, FinTech companies can help people with low or no bank accounts achieve greater financial stability and prosperity. Fintech puts American consumers at the center of their finances and helps them manage their money responsibly. From payment apps to budgeting and investment tools to alternative lending options, fintech makes it easier for consumers to pay for purchases and develop better financial habits.

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