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Tech has no borders

I’ve been trying to really digest the events of the other day after Trump’s executive order banning immigrants from 7 countries (for now). After seeing how quickly the tech giants urged their employees to remain in the country and others sent out their legal team to help employees and their family directly effected, I thought a lot about how this could impact our industry both short and long term. Though a federal judge overturned the executive order and ordered a temporary stay, it is in fact still temporary. The ban must still be tried in court from what I understand.

So what happens after? What can be done for now?

Well, now is a really great time to re-consider remote work as an option for your (U.S. based) company, friends. Every company technically has the ability to hire an individual from any country they want. But not everyone is granted the right to come stay here (this happens in almost every major nation as part of its process) or has the legal force of the tech giants to directly speak to the White House in the event that yesterday continues (not normal).

However, we cannot let these events prevent us from joining forces with wonderfully kind, talented and diverse — in color, nationality, religion and culture—human beings. I am forever grateful to my team, and though sometimes difficult, take comfort knowing they are working from any place in the world they decide and find enough comfort to call home.

We in tech have the power and choice to give people from all over the world great opportunities to use their talents, grow their potential, provide for their families and make a difference in the world. Communication and task management platforms have made it so a physical location matters less today than ever before. Enabling the people working for your company to do so remotely can and will show how a globalized world, can actually be good for everyone and the company itself. And most importantly, how performance under anything other than freedom is simply not an option.

Not every company is in a position to do this, but the message is for those who can and are continually thinking about how to best provide for employees going forward.

Leaders, voice your opinion and experiences. Without legal benefits, it is all you have. Let’s show everyone what it looks like when borders are removed and freedom truly wins.


I’d love your thoughts on this in order to learn how your company / team will work around the new orders being made in America now and in the event that it extends to other countries. Let’s chat on twitter.

My heart goes out to every individual studying in this country, with a visa or green card, that are being stripped of rights granted to them. For those who don’t have a team of tech lawyers behind them. For the children coming back to their mothers and fathers after a trip to extended family. For those forced to return to a country of turmoil and pain after believing they had run from it forever. From what I understand, you will now have a federal judge and a team of lawyers working pro-bono to fight for you.

Terrorism should never win nor be the answer. We should always take the measurements necessary to protect the people in our country — citizens, visa and green card holders alike. But we do not fight terrorism through discrimination. It will never solve the problem.

💙 Cat