About the author: Mike Callahan is professor of the practice of law at Stanford Law School and executive director of the Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University. He is formerly the general counsel of LinkedIn and Yahoo! The views in this commentary are his own and do not reflect the views of any organization with which he is affiliated.
The leak of the draft Supreme Court opinion that purports to overturn Roe v. Wade has thrown corporations into the fray of one of the most polarizing issues in American society.
Expectations on corporations and CEOs to pick a side are rising. Just this week Amazon and Citigroup announced plans to cover travel expenses for employee medical treatments including abortion. Recent events have similarly put corporations on the spot to speak out. The Russian invasion of Ukraine brought corporate condemnation and the severing of business ties in Russia even beyond the requirements of government sanctions. The events of Jan. 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol resulted in several corporations announcing they would be discontinuing or reviewing their political donations activity.
Why do so many expect corporations to take a position on social issues? Perhaps it is a function of declining trust in other institutions that society has traditionally relied on. The 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer signals that nearly half of respondents believe a growing lack of faith in media and government are fueling a cycle of distrust....
As actor Kim Soo-hyun has been cleared of false allegations and resumed his activities, he has taken legal action against trolls who continue to spread false information about the actor and engage...