Photo by Brayden Olsen
The election results may be in and Hillary Clinton may have conceded, but there is no shortage of strong feelings about the next four years of Trump. While some have taken to the streets to ("unfairly," in the president-elect's opinion) voice their outrage, others are wondering whom Trump will assemble to form his cabinet.But at the popular food delivery company GrubHub, the parent company of its eponymous delivery service and Seamless and MenuPages, the CEO is letting it be known that employees who espouse the type of language and message Trump used to garner support during his campaign should show themselves the door.On Wednesday, the day after the election, GrubHub CEO and co-founder Matt Maloney sent a company-wide email surveying—rather, digesting—the political landscape. In the email, which had a subject line of "So… that happened… what's next," Maloney said that had Trump been an employee at GrubHub, he would have been fired for his behavior. But in Maloney's attempt at advocacy of tolerance, some employees may have felt vilified. Maloney added that employees who embraced "nationalist, anti-immigrant and hateful politics of Donald Trump" should reply to the e-mail with their resignations.We have worked for years cultivating a culture of support and inclusiveness. I firmly believe that we must bring together different perspectives to continue innovating - including all genders, races, ethnicities and sexual, cultural or ideological preferences. We are better, faster and stronger together.Further I absolutely reject the nationalist, anti-immigrant and hateful politics of Donald Trump and will work to shield our community from this movement as best as I can. As we all try to understand what this vote means to us, I want to affirm to anyone on our team that is scared or feels personally exposed, that I and everyone else here at Grubhub will 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.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.Stay strong,MattReached for comment, a GrubHub spokesperson declined to say if anyone had taken up Maloney on his offer to resign, and told MUNCHIES that, "At Grubhub, we welcome and accept 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 otherwise. The message was intended to advocate for inclusion and tolerance—regardless of political affiliation—during this time of transition for our country."In a follow-up blog post titled "Inclusion and Tolerance in the Workplace," Maloney said the company respects all political beliefs and that some of his comments were misconstrued. "I want to clarify that I did not ask for anyone to resign if they voted for Trump," he wrote. "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."Moreover, Maloney told Fox that roughly 20 percent of GrubHub employees thanked him for sending the e-mail. But today, GrubHub's stock has suffered by as much as 5 percent.
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The e-mail was obtained by Fox News, which noted that, "if you voted for Donald Trump, you may not feel welcomed at GrubHub." Here's the e-mail.SUBJECT: So… that happened… what's next?I'm still trying to reconcile my own worldview with the overwhelming message that was delivered last night. Clearly there are a lot of people angry and scared as the antithesis of every modern presidential candidate won and will be our next president.While demeaning, insulting and ridiculing minorities, immigrants and the physically/mentally disabled worked for Mr. Trump, I want to be clear that this behavior - and these views, have no place at Grubhub. Had he worked here, many of his comments would have resulted in his immediate termination.READ MORE: I Got Drunk at the Trump Bar in Trump Tower and It Was Predictably Terrible
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So, America, here we are in 2016, the worst year in recent memory, and politics have invaded online food delivery, a most American service designed to streamline the highly enjoyable act of lazily stuffing your face. January can't come soon enough.Oh, wait…READ MORE: We Asked Food Policy Experts What They Thought of Trump's Plan to Dissolve the FDA