The Expensify boss urged the company’s millions of customers to support Joe Biden in the November presidential election in a mass email saying that voting for President Trump be » a vote against democracy «
Thursday’s memo from the founder and CEO of the expense management software company, David Barrett, drew praise and criticism from users, with some questioning whether the company had violated their trust by pushing for political approval in their inboxes
In the post, Barrett said he fears the country’s democratic systems will not survive another four years under Trump and that such a collapse could hurt Expensify as a company He also accused the president of attempting to suppress votes and making exaggerated statements about voter fraud
“Expensifying depends on a functioning society and economy; few expense reports are filed during a civil war, « Barrett wrote » … I am convinced that our democracy (and Expensify) can survive a Biden presidency I cannot say the same about Trump «
Barrett admitted that the email – which was sent to 10 million people across 100,000 companies that use Expensify software, according to Bloomberg News – would go against some people He wrote that recipients « don’t need to listen » and invited those who disagreed with him to share their thoughts on Twitter
Barrett also said that employees at Expensify had a long discussion about the letter and worked to verify the claims it contained
Many customers greeted Barrett at his invitation, with some saying they were moving their business elsewhere Critics also argued that it was inappropriate for the San Francisco-based company to use its user data cache to political ends
“We chose Expensify as a trust-based provider – after all, you have financial information for us at the organizational level as well as the personal information of hundreds of my colleagues,” Daniel Rothschild, Executive Director from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, writing in a letter to Barrett « You also have our email addresses We trusted you with our private information You violated this trust »
But some Expensify users praised Barrett for taking a clear stance and voicing it at a pivotal moment in the country’s history
« If I weren’t already an [Expensify] customer, I would change to encourage more leaders to be this daring, » tweeted Martha Shaughnessy, PR specialist. « It’s so beyond typical politics Everything is at stake »
Expensify’s email came amid intense debate in recent months over the role Silicon Valley tech giants, such as Facebook and Twitter, should play in the country’s political processes
/ p>
Other tech companies have taken a more restrictive stance on policy Brian Armstrong, CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, posted a controversial blog post last month saying the company would ban political discussions at work , prompting criticism from Twitter chief Jack Dorsey and Dick Costolo, the former CEO of the social network
© 2020 NYP Holdings, Inc All rights reserved
Terms of use
Privacy notice
Your Ad Choices
Sitemap
Your California Privacy Rights
Do not sell my personal information
Expensify
World news – United States – Expensify CEO urges millions of users to vote for Biden in email explosion
