Matt Maloney, the CEO of Grubhub — online food delivery service, released a statement on Thursday rejecting reports that he sent an email to his employees asking them to resign if they were supporters of US President-elect Donald Trump and his campaign rhetoric.
"Some of the statements in my email (please see full text below) have been misconstrued. I want to clarify that I did not ask for anyone to resign if they voted for Trump. I would never make such a demand. To the contrary, the message of the email is that we do not tolerate discriminatory activity or hateful commentary in the workplace, and that we will stand up for our employees," the statement, which was shared on Grubhub's Twitter handle, read.
Maloney added that "Grubhub welcomes and accepts employees with all political beliefs, no matter who they voted for in this or any election. We do not discriminate on the basis of someone's principles, or political or other beliefs."
According to media reports, the CEO had sent an email to his company employees on Wednesday saying that he did not support the "nationalist, anti-immigrant and hateful politics" that Trump indulged in and that this kind of behaviour and views had no place at Grubhub. He added that if the President-elect were working at the company, "many of his comments would have resulted in his immediate termination."
Maloney also stated that if anyone in his team felt "personally exposed," Grubhub would "fight for your dignity and your right to make a better life for yourself and your family here in the United States."
"If you do not agree with this statement then please reply to this email with your resignation because you have no place here. We do not tolerate hateful attitudes on our team," Maloney wrote in the email.
However, the CEO issued a clarification saying: "I deeply respect the right of all citizens to vote for the candidate of their choice... There is a place for all points of view at Grubhub. We value diverse perspectives and believe those perspectives help to create a better product and a better workplace culture... We are better, faster and stronger together, and so is America."
Maloney told Fox News that he stands by the email, which he said was appreciated by "almost 20 percent" of his employees.
The Grubhub CEO had concluded the email by saying: "I want to repeat what Hillary said this morning, that the new administration deserves our open minds and a chance to lead, but never stop believing that the fight for what's right is worth it."
We stand for tolerance. Always. Please read the official statement about our CEO, @m3aloney's, post-election email https://t.co/tQU3Db0IbY
— Grubhub (@Grubhub) November 10, 2016
