What we think.

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Does it make sense for a company to be political – that is, to continue business as usual but allow themselves to express political opinions? Expensify very boldly implored its users to vote Democrat via a lengthy email. Some believed that this was an overreach of a company’s power or an abuse of its trust, and others felt that Expensify would immediately lose 50% of their customer base. Nike has also waded into politics by standing behind Colin Kaepernick in their advertising. Other notable companies like Apple and Google have made waves by shunning the Republican National Convention. Are these intrusions too far?

I’ve always been fearful that revealing my politics in a business setting would alienate. I experience this firsthand when my friends and former co-workers post their views on social media. The ones I agree with make me smile or laugh, while the ones I disagree with irritate me for being ignorant trolls and make me want to block them. People’s posts end up polarizing my feelings towards them in either direction. The same dynamic exists with businesses. When I see a company openly expressing views similar to mine, I think about supporting them with my dollars. And when I find out that they are driving opposite causes, I avoid them like the plague.

While a company becoming political might not necessarily damage its business, does that make it right?

The benefit of politics

The Contagious Newsletter shared a study from the Journal of Marketing Research that confirms that customers punish companies they disagree with more than they reward those that share their values. Because of this dynamic, a smaller company – who only needs a small pool of customers to draw from – can actually benefit by becoming more activist.

“With a small enough market share, even a wildly unpopular stance can win customers. In one experiment, even though 72% of the sample group opposed Brexit, a brand’s pro-Brexit stance increased the number of people who chose it from 5% to 16%.”

While a company becoming political might not necessarily damage its business, does that make it right?

There does come a time when remaining silent enacts too much of a personal toll than speaking one’s mind.

Client mismatch

I’ve tried to keep politics out of my work life, even when I desperately wanted to say something. A perfect example is the potential client that Nancy and I met over lunch a couple of years ago. It sounded like we might land a new big contract until the subject drifted to the news. With reference to Trump, they said, “I don’t like who he is, but I like what he’s doing.” Nancy and I looked uncomfortably at each other. Instead of challenging that response, we immediately changed the topic. (The hot story at that moment in time was separating children at the border and jailing them – who could like that?)

It feels like the world is going crazy. Maybe that’s because – despite knowing it’s bad for my psyche – I’m compelled to read far too much news these days. On the whole what I read either disgusts me, infuriates me, or depresses me. There is already too much partisanship and too much division. However, there does come a time when remaining silent enacts too much of a personal toll than speaking one’s mind.

Brave leaders

Nancy has always been better at “speaking her truth” than I. She has never hid her devotion to animal welfare causes, and she’s written some blogs with potentially touchy subjects like suicide and Black Lives Matter that I probably would have shied away from. I respect and admire her for that. But I may have to credit Taylor Swift with giving myself permission to state my opinions publicly. Yes, that’s right – Taylor Swift. Seeing Miss Americana gave me a whole new appreciation for her. She shares her struggles with keeping apolitical until she can’t stand by any longer, and I feel the same.

Taking the leap

So: when should a company become a political company and start sharing their opinions? If you’re a huge multinational like GE or GM, probably never. A big company that’s willing to gamble like Nike, Apple, or Google, maybe. A smaller company with a strong belief like Expensify, then probably.

If you’re Third Law, then the answer now has to be yes.

I may not go too far out on a limb with politics. At least now I won’t hide behind neutrality. If you’re a US citizen, please help restore a bit of sanity and democracy to the world and vote Democrat tomorrow.