2 Big Names Bail on Zuckerberg Advocacy Group

Elon Musk is one, angry over ads supporting Keystone pipeline
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted May 11, 2013 7:29 AM CDT
2 Big Names Bail on Zuckerberg Advocacy Group
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., in this file photo.   (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

The advocacy group spearheaded by Mark Zuckerberg on immigration reform is down two high-profile players from Silicon Valley because of an ad strategy that has angered environmental and liberal groups, reports Reuters. The bigger name to leave is Tesla CEO Elon Musk. "I agreed to support FWD.us because there is a genuine need to reform immigration," he tells AllThingsD. "However, this should not be done at the expense of other important causes." The other to leave is David Sacks, founder of the business networking site Yammer.

Their departures come after FWD.us bankrolled ads in support of senators from both parties seen as crucial to immigration reform. The ads, however, don't focus on immigration. Instead, they generally praise the senators for a host of positions, and in Lindsey Graham's case, that includes his support of the Keystone XL pipeline, notes Think Progress. Environmentalists hate the project, and Musk in particular is a strong advocate of green energy. “We recognize that not everyone will always agree with or be pleased by our strategy—and we’re grateful for the continued support of our dedicated founders and major contributors,” says a spokesperson for Zuckerberg's group. "FWD.us remains totally committed to supporting a bipartisan policy agenda that will boost the knowledge economy, including comprehensive immigration reform.” (More Mark Zuckerberg stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X