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Tag: fwd.us

  • Mark Zuckerberg’s FWD.us Releases New Pro-Immigration Ad

    Mark Zuckerberg’s FWD.us Releases New Pro-Immigration Ad

    The immigration debate is heating up in Washington again as President Obama has asked Congress to put a bill on his desk before summer’s end. One of the largest proponents of immigration reform – Mark Zuckerberg’s FWD.us – is now doubling down with a new ad campaign.

    Central to the campaign is a new TV ad called “Emma.” The title is a reference to Emma Lazarus, the poet who wrote The New Colossus. The sonnet, alongside the Statue of Liberty, have been symbols of hope for immigrants for over a century now. The new ad is obviously trying to reignite this association for a modern era.

    In his post about the ad on Facebook, Zuckerberg said that immigration reform “is our chance to keep America a magnet for the world’s brightest and hardest working people.”

    That immigration reform is taking longer than expected, however, as lawmakers on both sides are finding it hard to come to an agreement on a myriad of issues. The latest concern has some lawmakers worried that the bill would have a negative effect on the economy. Most of those fears were put to rest on Tuesday when the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said the Senate bill would boost the economy while simultaneously lowering the deficit.

    It’s good news for Facebook and other tech companies that have been pushing for comprehensive immigration reform since last year, but the tech industry isn’t the only sector that has a voice in the debate. Immigration affects pretty much every facet of American life so Zuckerberg and FWD.us will have to convince Congress that its needs are among the most important going forward.

    Will this ad do that? Probably not, but it at least looks nice.

  • Zuckerberg’s FWD.us Immigration Reform Group Snags Bill Gates, Sean Parker, and More

    Zuckerberg’s FWD.us Immigration Reform Group Snags Bill Gates, Sean Parker, and More

    Mark Zuckerberg’s immigration-focused political advocacy group is getting the help of a few more tech heavyweights.

    Today, FWD.us announced a couple of new members: Microsoft founder BIll Gates, current Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Microsoft EVP Brad Smith and Sean Parker, of Napster and later, Facebook fame.

    “We’re thrilled that Bill Gates, Brad Smith, Steve Ballmer, and Sean Parker – longtime advocates for vital policies like comprehensive immigration reform that will grow our economy – are joining FWD.us’ efforts to organize and engage the tech community,” said FWD.us President Joe Green. “We’ve been excited by the momentum we continue to see as more members of the tech community contribute to the national debate to improve our economic future, and support the bipartisan policies that will boost economic growth and continue to grow the knowledge economy.”

    FWD.us officially launched on April 11th when group founder Mark Zuckerberg penned an op-ed in the Washington Post, giving a basic outline of what the group hopes to accomplish through immigration reform.

    Officially, FWD.us is “a new organization founded by leaders of our nation’s technology community to focus on these issues and advocate a bipartisan policy agenda to build the knowledge economy the United States needs to ensure more jobs, innovation and investment.”

    The group already had some major tech clout – Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, former Groupon CEO Andrew Mason, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, SpaceX’s Elon Musk, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, and Instagram’s Kevin Systrom. But adding Gates, Ballmer, and Parker is a significant boost for the group.

    Zuckerberg has called for comprehensive immigration reform that starts with effective border security and also allows a “path to citizenship.” He also calls for higher standards in schools and “investment in breakthrough discoveries in scientific research and assurance that the benefits of the inventions belong to the public and not just to the few.”

    FWD.us currently has two U.S. offices, one in Silicon Valley and one in Washington D.C. The goal, obviously, is to affect legislation. Having the names that it has attached to it – well, it’s a good start.

    [via All Things D]

  • Zuckerberg: U.S. Immigration Policy ‘Unfit for Today’s World’

    Zuckerberg: U.S. Immigration Policy ‘Unfit for Today’s World’

    Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has pulled the cover off his immigration reform group, outlining its position and naming its advocates in a Washington Post op-ed.

    He starts off with an anecdote about a young, undocumented student that he teaches in an after-school class on entrepreneurship. The kid’s family is from Mexico, but he’s live in America basically his whole life. Zuckerberg recalls how the student relating his worries about being able to go to college, given his situation.

    “These students are smart and hardworking, and they should be part of our future,” says Zuckerberg.

    And with that, Zuckerberg announced FWD.us.

    “I am proud to announce FWD.us, a new organization founded by leaders of our nation’s technology community to focus on these issues and advocate a bipartisan policy agenda to build the knowledge economy the United States needs to ensure more jobs, innovation and investment.”

    And here some of those tech leaders that have joined Zuckerberg on the project:

    Reid Hoffman, Eric Schmidt, Marissa Mayer, Drew Houston, Ron Conway, Chamath Palihapitiya, Joe Green, Jim Breyer, Matt Cohler, John Doerr, Paul Graham, Mary Meeker, Max Levchin, Aditya Agarwal and Ruchi Sanghvi.

    “Today’s students should have the same opportunities – but our current system blocks them. We have a strange immigration policy for a nation of immigrants. And it’s a policy unfit for today’s world,” says Zuckerberg.

    Zuckerberg gives a basic outline of FWD.us’ agenda. He says that comprehensive immigration reform starts with effective border security and also allows a “path to citizenship” that lets America benefit from its best and brightest. He also calls for higher standards in schools and “investment in breakthrough discoveries in scientific research and assurance that the benefits of the inventions belong to the public and not just to the few.”

    Not too specific on the goals thus far, but the message is clear: we have to start keeping the talent here, instead of letting it slip away to other countries.

    Zuckerberg says that the group will “work with members of Congress from both parties, the administration and state and local officials. We will use online and offline advocacy tools to build support for policy changes, and we will strongly support those willing to take the tough stands necessary to promote these policies in Washington.”

    You can visit FWD.us, today, and connect via Facebook (surpirse, surprise). FWD.us’ landing page asks visitors to “join the tech community in passing immigration reform.”