My Thoughts on the Election

Earlier this morning, I sent the following email to our team at LinkedIn. I originally had no intention of sharing it publicly, but given the overwhelmingly positive response and encouragement, decided to do so after all.

For those members that believe politics have no place on LinkedIn, please keep in mind two things:

1. I agree that general political discourse is better served on other platforms. However, as a company committed to creating economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce, a constructive dialog is welcome when it involves the intersection of politics, policy and job creation/investment.

2. This email did not come from a place of political inclination. It came from a place of compassion and common decency.

[Update: After more than a week since publishing this post, I have heard from a number of LinkedIn members, some who remain anxious and others who are excited and optimistic about the future. Appreciate your comments, as it's important to me to hear a diverse set of perspectives on an issue as significant as this.] 

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Team, 

I spent much of yesterday talking with employees and leaders throughout LinkedIn about the U.S. election results and what it means to them personally and for us as a company. I wanted to briefly share what I heard and the implications for us going forward. 

As might be expected from this long and sometimes brutal election cycle, the emotional responses people expressed ran from shock and sadness to grief and mourning; some telling stories of celebratory outreach from colleagues; and yet others feeling nothing at all. I heard women driven to tears of frustration over the fact a highly qualified woman was passed over once again for a leadership role, and saw men choke up as they recounted their stories; was told of how a highly talented and deserving co-worker, here from another country on an H1-B visa, was filled with dread over whether he and his family will have the opportunity to remain in the U.S.; and saw tears of joy from a mother recounting how her young son stood up in class, boasting how proud he was that his mom had voted. 

The last eighteen months sharply divided the country. We saw far too many attacks on people vs. problems, and overzealous passion for candidates displacing compassion for one another. The polarization and open hostility was sustained for so long that people with opposing views became more caricature than actual human beings. 

Let's make sure to provide one another the time to process everything that's just transpired. As leaders and achievers, many of us have a natural tendency to solve other people's problems as soon as we hear them. However, we need to be sensitive to the fact that some members of the team don't need or even want immediate resolution. They don't want to hear rationalizations or participate in endless debates about why this unfolded the way that it did. They may just want someone to listen. 

Others are ready to engage; to share their fears and anger, their hopes and dreams. It's imperative to the healing process that we create a space where every individual at the company can feel safe when doing so; that everyone feels heard; and above all else, that every single employee of LinkedIn feels as if they truly belong here. This dynamic must transcend race, religion, gender, creed, and country of origin. While we have always aspired to make this the case, it will be more important than ever given the misogynistic, racist, and xenophobic language heard at times throughout this election. That language and behavior has not and never will have a place at LinkedIn and we will continue to do everything within our power to create a safe and productive work environment for all of our employees. 

Beyond the healing, all of us should be prepared to channel this energy into action. Though human nature will dictate that we try and find one unifying theory for everything that transpired, the truth is that this outcome was the byproduct of multiple dynamics. Most relevant to the work we do at LinkedIn: The growing sense of disenfranchisement among tens of millions of Americans. 

We've said for years that the realization of our vision -- to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce -- has never been more important. That when people no longer have access to opportunity, when they don't feel heard, society is at risk. Whether through the growing skills gap, widening socioeconomic stratification, the increasing displacement of jobs by new technologies, or rising youth based unemployment, there are a growing number of people in the U.S., and around the world, that no longer feel as if they have a chance to make a better life for themselves and their families. It's one thing to talk about this as part of a corporate narrative; it's quite another to watch it unfold. That's where LinkedIn can make a meaningful difference. By developing the world's first economic graph, our newly launched learning and development tools, LinkedIn Cities, LinkedIn Placements, and many other similarly themed products, we can increasingly extend the power of our platform to help those middle skill workers beyond the core of our professional membership gain better control over their economic destiny. This work matters more than ever before.

As the election results were coming in, and it became increasingly obvious that Trump was likely to be our next President, my daughter asked what was going to happen next. I told her that no matter who was President of this country, her mom and I would always take care of her, that she would be raised with the same values we've always had, that we are fortunate to live in a country that enables every citizen not only the right to vote but to openly disagree with the views of the candidates, and that despite those disagreements, once we have elected a new President, recognize we're all in this together. 

I'm not certain what a Trump administration will mean for the country. If Brexit and this process have taught me anything, it's how unpredictable seemingly predictable outcomes have become. What I am certain about is my value system, both as an individual and member of our team. I will continue to treat others, regardless of who they voted for, in a way that's consistent with those values. I hope the same holds for everyone at our company -- that no matter what our political leanings, our race, religion, gender, creed, or country of origin, we treat each other with respect, with compassion, and above all else, we take care of one another. No election should ever change that.

Jeff