PayPal cancels plan to hire 400 people in North Carolina to protest anti-LGBT law

PayPal is taking a strong stance in favor of the LGBT community. A couple of weeks ago, North Carolina lawmakers passed a disappointing law that prohibits protecting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. This law also discriminates transgender people by forcing them to go to the wrong bathroom. PayPal won’t accept that and said in a statement that the company won’t open a new office in Charlotte after all.

The new global operations center in Charlotte was supposed to employ 400 people. And it looks like the company won’t change its mind as long as this law is still valid.

“The new law perpetuates discrimination and it violates the values and principles that are at the core of PayPal’s mission and culture,” PayPal president and CEO Dan Schulman wrote. “As a result, PayPal will not move forward with our planned expansion into Charlotte.”

PayPal isn’t the only one protesting the law. The White House is currently reviewing it, a federal lawsuit is in progress as well. Other governments have banned nonessential government travel to the state of North Carolina in order to protest the law.

100 other companies have asked to repeal the law, but PayPal seems to be the most vocal opponent with its canceled plan to add jobs in the state.

Here’s the full statement:

Two weeks ago, PayPal announced plans to open a new global operations center in Charlotte and employ over 400 people in skilled jobs.  In the short time since then, legislation has been abruptly enacted by the State of North Carolina that invalidates protections of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens and denies these members of our community equal rights under the law.

The new law perpetuates discrimination and it violates the values and principles that are at the core of PayPal’s mission and culture.  As a result, PayPal will not move forward with our planned expansion into Charlotte.

This decision reflects PayPal’s deepest values and our strong belief that every person has the right to be treated equally, and with dignity and respect. These principles of fairness, inclusion and equality are at the heart of everything we seek to achieve and stand for as a company. And they compel us to take action to oppose discrimination.

Our decision is a clear and unambiguous one. But we do regret that we will not have the opportunity to be a part of the Charlotte community and to count as colleagues the skilled and talented people of the region. As a company that is committed to the principle that everyone deserves to live without fear of discrimination simply for being who they are, becoming an employer in North Carolina, where members of our teams will not have equal rights under the law, is simply untenable.

While we will seek an alternative location for our operations center, we remain committed to working with the LGBT community in North Carolina to overturn this discriminatory legislation, alongside all those who are committed to equality.

We will stand firm in our commitment to equality and inclusion and our conviction that we can make a difference by living and acting on our values.  It’s the right thing to do for our employees, our customers, and our communities.

Dan Schulman, President and CEO, PayPal