⁍ Earlier this year, major U.S. companies pledged to address racial inequality and promote social justice.

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⁍ Companies that rushed to take a stand include Home Depot Inc, Procter & Gamble Co and Coca-Cola Co.

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⁍ Another set of companies, particularly in Silicon Valley, are turning more cautious.

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– Last month, the CEO of San Francisco-based cryptocurrency company Coinbase wrote a blog post explaining that the company would not be taking a public stand on issues such as racial inequality and police brutality. But now Reuters reports that other Silicon Valley companies, particularly in Silicon Valley, are similarly turning a blind eye to such issues. “It’s one of those things where it’s better to make quiet noise,” says Lloyd Carney, a former tech exec who sits on the boards of companies including Nuance Communications and Sono-Tek. “A press release is the worst thing you can do in this highly politicized environment.” Reuters spoke to more than a dozen investors, entrepreneurs, executive coaches, and recruiters who said that companies should avoid taking public stances that “stir up controversy in an increasingly polarized America.” “People aren’t taking a public stand about this, but they are asking about it in the boardroom: ‘What should we do?'” says Kathleen Utecht of venture-capital firm Core Innovation Capital. A Harvard professor who has studied CEO activism says it’s rare for companies to get involved in politics. “You can count on a couple of hands how many examples you can find,” he says. “Many are not engaging.” (Expensify CEO David Barrett emailed the company’s 10 million users on Friday to urge them to vote for Joe Biden.)