Tipping Point
With each video that emerged, the weight of it became harder to carry. A man holding a phone, not a weapon. A nurse who spent his career caring for veterans. Helping a woman who’d just been pepper sprayed. Then restrained on the ground. Shot in the back. Then shot again while motionless. Ten bullets in five seconds. The administration’s response: call him a domestic terrorist.
Still from video by Philophon via Reddit. The New York Times
After a year of head-spinning events, yesterday felt different. The killing of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis brought together so many issues facing this country. We are at a tipping point.
Corporate leaders and politicians need to meet this moment.
The latest killing of an American citizen by D.H.S. has garnered widespread pushback among Democrats in Congress—increasingly likely to lead to a government shutdown on Friday. Some Congressional Republicans are starting to voice concerns about DHS as well.
The pressure now moves to top CEOs, who have largely avoided commenting on the actions of this administration over the past year. After two decades of corporate reputation strategy built on “company values,” companies largely backed off corporate activism in Trump’s second term. There was limited upside to engaging given the chance of retribution from the White House. But brands will find it increasingly difficult to avoid engaging in what has become a defining moment in America.
The increased pressure point comes from their own employees and consumers. Many Americans have been ahead of leaders—both policymakers and CEOs. It’s why some of the most substantial pushback we’ve witnessed in the last 12 months has come from individuals, not institutions. Protests in Minneapolis, Chicago, LA. No Kings rallies. Millions canceling Disney subscriptions after the Jimmy Kimmel suspension. Federal employees at every level—the head of the Social Security Administration resigned after a clash with DOGE, dozens of Justice Department attorneys left rather than defend White House policies in court. Top litigators walking away from law firms that wouldn’t hold the line.
For the past year, Fortune 500 CEOs have privately asked whether one incident or another is “the moment.” When would the country cross the line—when the risk of silence finally outweighed the risk of speaking up? The past year provided many moments. Political interference in free markets. Widespread deportations and aggressive ICE tactics. Greenland and the weakening of NATO relationships. Attacks on the Fed Chairman. USAID. And yet each moment passed without the most visible business leaders in the country using their influence.
What does responsible action by corporate leaders look like? It starts with voice—signaling first to employees and consumers that leadership sees what they see and shares their concerns. But measured language designed not to offend will do little. Equivocation reads as cowardice. This is the time to be clear, direct, forceful. Your employees watched the videos. Your consumers know if you’re playing only to Washington. They’re not looking for carefully workshopped statements. They’re looking for a spine.
But to be clear, voice without follow-through is hollow. That is what led to so much criticism of corporate public statements in the past. Putting out a heavily word-smithed statement becomes the corporate equivalent of “thoughts and prayers”—and employees and consumers can sniff that out. Matching words with action means using access: conversations with lawmakers, coordinated statements with peer CEOs, reconsidering political contributions, pulling back from administration and Congressional events to effect change. Work with state legislators.
The playbook exists. It’s been used before. The question is whether corporate leaders will use it now.
Law and order is critical for both a healthy democracy and stable markets. That should be reason enough for corporate leaders to start using the considerable collective power they have. There’s safety in numbers—and credibility in acting together.
When consumers and employees—two of your key stakeholders—are ahead of you, catching up gets harder with every news cycle. The question isn’t whether to respond—it’s whether you’re still credible when you do.
Silence isn’t neutrality. It’s a position.
