Employers such as Microsoft and Delta are taking action against workers who post comments about Charlie Kirk that they say violate company values.<\/b>
\nIn the days since Charlie Kirk’s death, some companies have been forced to navigate a delicate situation: employees sharing their personal views about the conservative activist in public.
For employers, those remarks highlight the growing challenge of balancing free expression with corporate values and workplace harmony.
Major corporations such as Microsoft and Delta Air Lines are taking action against employees who have made social media posts critical of Kirk’s own views, or even ones celebrating his death, which could be considered a violation of company values.
Kirk, an ally of President Donald Trump, advocated conservative beliefs on college campuses and was influential among young people on the right. But many find his comments about immigrants, trans rights, and feminism intolerant and divisive.
Here is how some companies are responding.Microsoft
Microsoft shared an X post on Friday addressing negative remarks about Kirk made online by some of its employees.
\u00ab\u00a0We’re aware of the views expressed by a small subset of our employees regarding recent events\u00a0\u00bb, the company said. \u00ab\u00a0We take matters like this very seriously and we are currently reviewing each individual situation.\u00a0\u00bb
Microsoft said, \u00ab\u00a0Comments celebrating violence against anyone are unacceptable and do not align with our values.\u00a0\u00bb
Microsoft’s statement came after Tesla CEO Elon Musk called out Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on X in response to an unverified claim that some employees at Blizzard, a video game company owned by Microsoft, had posted comments \u00ab\u00a0trashing\u00a0\u00bb Kirk.Office Depot
The ODP Corporation, the parent company of Office Depot, apologized to consumers on Friday after footage taken at a Michigan Office Depot gained attention on social media. The footage appeared to show an employee refusing to print a poster for a vigil associated with Kirk.
\u00ab\u00a0The behavior displayed by our associate is completely unacceptable and insensitive, violates our company policies, and does not reflect the values we uphold at Office Depot. On behalf of the Company, we sincerely apologize for this regrettable situation\u00a0\u00bb, the company said in a press release.
The company said it fired the employee involved in the interaction.
\u00ab\u00a0We also launched an immediate internal review and, as a result, the associate involved is no longer with the organization\u00a0\u00bb, the press release said. \u00ab\u00a0We continue to aggressively investigate the matter and will take action where appropriate.\u00a0\u00bb
A spokesperson told Business Insider that Office Depot was continuing to \u00ab\u00a0closely manage\u00a0\u00bb its response to the interaction.Nasdaq
On Friday, Nasdaq said it fired an employee for their remarks about Kirk because they violated company policy.
\u00ab\u00a0We are aware of social media posts by an employee regarding the shooting of Charlie Kirk that were a clear violation of our policy. Nasdaq has a zero-tolerance policy toward violence and any commentary that condones or celebrates violence\u00a0\u00bb, the company said on X. \u00ab\u00a0The employee in question has been terminated, effective immediately.\u00a0\u00bbMSNBC
The political analyst Matthew Dowd was widely attacked online after making remarks about Kirk during an appearance on MSNBC’s \u00ab\u00a0Katy Tur Reports\u00a0\u00bb on Wednesday.
MSNBC’s president, Rebecca Kutler, called Dowd’s comments \u00ab\u00a0insensitive\u00a0\u00bb in an X post later that day.
\u00ab\u00a0During our breaking news coverage of the shooting of Charlie Kirk, Matthew Dowd made comments that were inappropriate, insensitive, and unacceptable\u00a0\u00bb, the statement said. \u00ab\u00a0We apologize for his statements, as has he. There is no place for violence in America, political or otherwise.\u00a0\u00bb
Dowd responded in a subsequent Substack article on Friday, confirming that MSNBC had fired him.
\u00ab\u00a0The Right Wing media mob ginned up, went after me on a plethora of platforms, and MSNBC reacted to that mob\u00a0\u00bb, he wrote. \u00ab\u00a0Even though most at MSNBC knew my words were being misconstrued, the timing of my words forgotten (remember I said this before anyone knew Kirk was a target), and that I apologized for any miscommunication on my part, I was terminated by the end of the day.\u00a0\u00bb
Comcast and Versant executives urged employees to \u00ab\u00a0treat people with kindness\u00a0\u00bb in a memo on Friday. Comcast is MSNBC’s parent company. Versant is an independent media company being spun off from Comcast and NBCUniversal that will eventually own MSNBC.
\u00ab\u00a0Regardless of whether you agreed with his political views, his words and actions underscore the urgency to maintain a respectful exchange of ideas \u2014 a principle we must champion\u00a0\u00bb, the memo said.
The memo added: \u00ab\u00a0As employees, we ask you to embody our values in your work and communities. We should engage with respect, listen, and treat people with kindness.\u00a0\u00bbPerkins Coie
Perkins Coie, a law firm already at odds with the Trump administration, didn’t escape the fray either.
The firm fired a lawyer whose social media posts about Kirk gained attention online, where commentators noted his place of work, a spokesperson told Business Insider.
\u00ab\u00a0These comments do not reflect the views of our firm, and the individual’s conduct in posting them fell far short of the expectations we have of everyone who works here\u00a0\u00bb, the spokesperson said. \u00ab\u00a0This is not who we are, and the individual was separated from the firm with immediate effect. We offer our deepest sympathies to Mr. Kirk’s family.\u00a0\u00bbThe Carolina Panthers
On Thursday, the Carolina Panthers addressed comments from one of its employees, writing on X, \u00ab\u00a0The views expressed by our employees are their own and do not represent those of the Carolina Panthers.\u00a0\u00bb
\u00ab\u00a0We do not condone violence of any kind. We are taking this matter very seriously and have accordingly addressed it with the individual\u00a0\u00bb, the post said.
A source told The Athletic the organization fired a public relations employee over his remarks about Kirk.Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines suspended an unknown number of employees over their social media posts about Kirk, a companywide memo viewed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution showed.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian wrote in the memo that those employees were under investigation because the content \u00ab\u00a0went well beyond healthy, respectful debate\u00a0\u00bb, according to the AJC.
He added, \u00ab\u00a0Violations of our social media policy can carry meaningful consequences, including termination.\u00a0\u00bbThe
Karen Attiah said she was fired as an opinion writer from The after posting on social media about Charlie Kirk.
Attiah wrote a Substack post published Monday that said she was fired after \u00ab\u00a0speaking out against political violence, racial double standards, and America’s apathy toward guns.\u00a0\u00bb
A spokesperson said the paper doesn’t comment on personnel matters. The Post’s social media policy says in part that Post journalists should not undermine the paper’s ability to cover the news fairly and should be civil and treat people with respect.
The day Kirk was shot, Attiah said in a Bluesky post that there was a double standard in how the shooting deaths of Democrats were treated and a failure to address \u00ab\u00a0white men\u00a0\u00bb who commit violence. Attiah wrote a post mentioning Kirk that said the left was prematurely being blamed for his death. Another of her posts referred to not doing performative mourning for \u00ab\u00a0a white man that espoused violence.\u00a0\u00bb
It is not clear what particular social-media posts led to Attiah’s firing.
Attiah’s departure comes in the wake of the Jeff Bezos-owned Post’s overhaul of its opinion section, which is now focused on \u00ab\u00a0personal liberties and free markets.\u00a0\u00bb That led to the departure of opinion editor David Shipley, along with several of his colleagues, and the appointment of Adam O’Neal to replace him in June.ABC
An ABC spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that it \u00ab\u00a0indefinitely\u00a0\u00bb suspended production of \u00ab\u00a0Jimmy Kimmel Live!\u00a0\u00bb on Wednesday.
The decision came after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Kimmel’s remarks about Charlie Kirk during a recent episode. During an interview with conservative commentator Benny Johnson, Carr said the FCC could intervene after Kimmel’s comments.
Nexstar, an ABC affiliate, subsequently issued a press release saying it would \u00ab\u00a0preempt ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ for the foreseeable future.\u00a0\u00bb
\u00ab\u00a0Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets\u00a0\u00bb, a press release said.
Sinclair, another ABC affiliate, also suspended the show on its stations. The broadcasting company said ABC did not reprimand Kimmel enough and called on the network and the FCC to take \u00ab\u00a0additional action.\u00a0\u00bb
\u00ab\u00a0Sinclair also calls upon Mr. Kimmel to issue a direct apology to the Kirk family\u00a0\u00bb, a press release said. \u00ab\u00a0Furthermore, we ask Mr. Kimmel to make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA.\u00a0\u00bb
Sinclair said it would fill Kimmel’s timeslot with a special dedication to Kirk.<\/p>\n