Top tech leaders bash Trump as anti-innovation

A Donald Trump presidency "would be a disaster for innovation," said on Thursday an open letter from 145 U.S. tech industry leaders, including high-profile names like Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman.

The letter, posted on Medium, shows that much of the tech industry remains concerned about the prospect of a Trump presidency.

Signers of the letter come from some of the most powerful tech companies including Google, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Qualcomm, Ebay, Tumblr and Apple, as well as startups, venture capital firms, nonprofits and universities.

"He campaigns on anger, bigotry, fear of new ideas and new people," the collection of tech power players says in the letter. "His vision stands against the open exchange of ideas, free movement of people, and productive engagement with the outside world that is critical to our economy -- and that provide the foundation for innovation and growth."

The letter focuses on immigration, which is a hot topic for the tech industry that sources much of its top talents from other countries. According to the letter, 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children.

These tech heavyweights believe that progressive immigration policies help the United States "attract and retain some of the brightest minds on earth -- scientists, entrepreneurs, and creators" and they say Trump "traffics in ethnic and racial stereotypes" in his opposition to immigration reform.

The group criticizes Trump for failing to lay out much of a tech agenda, saying he "articulates few policies beyond erratic and contradictory pronouncements."

Citing Trump's recent suggestion of shutting down parts of the Internet as a security strategy, the group writes that the idea demonstrates "both poor judgment and ignorance about how technology works." The letter also criticizes Trump's hostility toward the media.

The tech leaders also discussed government's role in the technology economy by investing in infrastructure, education and scientific research, which they believe lack in Trump's policies.

The group writes that Trump's "reckless disregard for U.S. legal and political institutions threatens to upend what attracts companies to start and scale in America," and that his policies would risk "distorting markets, reducing exports, and slowing job creation."

"We stand against Donald Trump's divisive candidacy and want a candidate who embraces the ideals that built America's technology industry: freedom of expression, openness to newcomers, equality of opportunity, public investments in research and infrastructure, and respect for the rule of law," the letter concludes.

(APD)