Occupied Palestine (Quds News Network)- Stripe CEO Patrick Collison is under fire after posting on X (formerly Twitter) praising Israel amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza, sparking outrage and calls to boycott his company.
Collison shared a photo from Tel Aviv with the caption: “Great to be back in Tel Aviv. I missed this run.” The tweet sparked outrage as it coincides with Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Great to be back in Tel Aviv. I missed this run. pic.twitter.com/xc4LP1MkQm
— Patrick Collison (@patrickc) November 27, 2024
The International Criminal Court (ICC) recently issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant over war crimes in Gaza. Similarly, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s actions in Gaza could plausibly amount to genocide. The ICJ also ordered Israel to comply with the 1948 Genocide Convention by preventing further atrocities.
Patrick Collison, an Irish entrepreneur with a net worth of $7.2 billion, co-founded Stripe, a leading online payments company. Many critics, including tech leaders, slammed his post. Paul Biggar, an Irish tech founder and creator of Tech For Palestine, CircleCI, and Darklang, tweeted: “Ten people reached out to me about this tweet. Sad day.”
Ten people reached out to me about this tweet. Sad day https://t.co/K4fZmfDpdD
— Paul Biggar 🇵🇸🇮🇪 (@paulbiggar) November 27, 2024
Some users highlighted Collison’s apparent hypocrisy by resurfacing his 2014 post condemning Israel’s bombing of a UN school in Gaza, where displaced children had sought refuge. Others called for a boycott of Stripe, accusing Collison of ignoring the human rights crisis in Gaza to promote a state facing global condemnation.
Will you visit these children? https://t.co/U5lssnpK5E
— Stop Arab Hate (@StopArabHate) November 27, 2024
Sold your soul within a decade https://t.co/iLHpGG5EjE pic.twitter.com/bvQkzz7U7j
— omar (@theomaramo) November 27, 2024
I'll leave this here https://t.co/aH14ibmp7s pic.twitter.com/ZadlwInEZO
— Toffee (@emadabdulrahim) November 27, 2024
He is an Irish tech billionaire. I had never heard of him till this tweet. He wrote this knowing Israel has killed thousands in Gaza, West Bank, and Lebanon. He knows because we have all seen it. But this obscenely rich man. Does not care. He's off for a run. https://t.co/Kdwc9dlPLE pic.twitter.com/bzMdLKLFFt
— Bev (@bevmolx) November 27, 2024
Patrick could have not posted this.
But he chose, despite the kids with brains blown out of their heads, to post anyway.
He knew how polarising, how sensitive this would be … not just in general … but to his own customers too.
It won’t be forgotten. https://t.co/wiHad8ePJb
— Abdul-Rahman (@asabbas98) November 27, 2024
CEO of @Stripe missed genocidal settler colonialism, is happy to return to apartheid Israel. https://t.co/MDjPPygjTo
— Shailja #FreePalestine Patel (@shailjapatel) November 27, 2024
The backlash has reignited debates over tech leaders’ responsibilities in addressing human rights issues, especially as companies like Stripe depend on global consumer trust.