Microsoft Corp. is under pressure from a group of activist shareholders seeking greater transparency about political donations to groups and individuals opposing abortion rights, calling on the software giant to end donations and pressure that could conflict with your stated support for employee access to reproductive health . Careful.

Tulipshare, the UK-based activist investment platform for retailers, said it was concerned about donations such as the $3 million Microsoft has made since 2010 to groups including the Republican Association of Attorneys General and the Association of Republican Governors, according to the Center for Political Responsibility. The center, which tracks political contributions, said the group used donations to focus on electing officials against Roe v. Cross. Tulipshare, which also targets Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Salesforce Inc., plan to engage with Microsoft’s investor relations department and will file a shareholder motion if the company does not address its concerns, Jenna said. from the platform. Marketing Director.

Tulipshare cited the expansion of Microsoft’s employee benefits to cover travel expenses for abortion care as opposed to its political contributions.

“You see a lot of companies taking this wake-up marketing opportunity to speak out against something, whether it’s to attract more recruits, just to get themselves into the media, when in reality their political activity says otherwise,” Armitage said.

The Tulipshare proposal would mandate that companies require the political action committees they fund to say which candidates and causes they support, and publish that information annually.

The company, which usually divides its political contributions between Republicans and Democrats, has been criticized for supporting candidates whose voting records and statements contradict Microsoft’s stance on issues such as LGBTQ rights and climate change. Following criticism of donations to politicians and organizations opposing the certification of US President Joe Biden’s 2021 election, Microsoft pledged to stop donating to such groups and individuals until after the US midterm elections in November this year.

The action with Tulipshare is part of a broader campaign by the Center for Political Accountability to engage companies in the transparency of political donations and how it aligns with their corporate values. “Companies need to know where their money ends up, what they are allowed to do and what you associate them with,” said CPA resident Bruce Freed. “This is an important element of risk management today.”

Tech companies can also become targets for shareholder action regarding abortion in other areas. Shelley Alpern, director of corporate engagement at Rhia Ventures, said in June that investors would ask the company to clarify how they would handle increasing pressure from authorities to provide data on anyone suspected of attempting abortion in another state. Rhia has also asked companies to disclose their political and electoral spending on access to reproductive health care, a proposal supported by 44% of AT&T Inc investors.

Shareholder activism has gained traction among Microsoft investors. Last year, the Redmond, Washington-based firm struck deals with two groups, while a third, Arjuna Capital, managed to win investor approval for a move that asked the company to examine the effectiveness of its sexual harassment policies.