A Company of Immigrants Speaks Out

Arif Kareem, CEO, ExtraHop Networks

There are times as a leader when silence is not an option. This is one of those times. Last week, the White House issued an executive order restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries and suspending all refugee admissions into the United States.

We as an organization do not agree with this policy. It is not aligned with our company values, and I do not believe it is consistent with the American values I have come to know since I immigrated to the United States 35 years ago and made this my home. America is a nation of immigrants, from the first Europeans who came to our Eastern shores seeking a better life, to the many millions who now come from all over the world in pursuit of new opportunities and the guarantee of fundamental rights and freedoms.

Like America itself, ExtraHop would not exist without immigration. One of our founders is an immigrant. Half of our leadership team -- myself included -- are immigrants. Look across the company, at every level and in every department, and you will find immigrants who are core to our success and innovation.

We thrive because we build a team not on the basis of background, gender, ethnicity, religion, or origin, but on the basis of merit and character. We are better for this rich diversity of experience, and for the respect, collaboration, and empathy we show each other every day.

The ExtraHop management team stands firmly behind its global employees in this time of uncertainty. We will not be silent.