San Francisco Tech CEO Apologises After Racist Rant Goes Viral
The founder and CEO of a cloud computing consultancy is in trouble following a racist rant went viral which showed Michael Lofthouse, Chief Executive of cloud transformation company verbally abusing fellow diners at a restaurant in California that was captured on video.
In the clip, which has been viewed over 6 million times on Twitter, Mr Lofthouse, was filmed making slurs against an Asian family at a nearby table. The video, in which Lofthouse flipped off the family celebrating a birthday on the Fourth of July, quickly went viral.
The video concludes showing Mr Lofthouse being ejected from the restaurant by an employee at Carmel Valley’s Bernardus Lodge Hotel as he can be heard shouting: “Trump’s gonna f- you. You f— Asian piece of s—.”
This happened to my friend Jordan last night in Monterey, CA while celebrating her aunt’s birthday. All they were doing was singing happy birthday when this man started yelling disgusting racist remarks. These racists exist and they’re getting comfortable. Please vote! pic.twitter.com/T8RtSKDM3J
— john (@JohnRizkallah) July 5, 2020
After the video went viral and Mr Lofthouse was identified, Lofthouse deleted all his social media accounts and issued an apology to a local TV station.
Speaking to San Francisco’s KGO-TV in a statement. “My behavior in the video is appalling. This was clearly a moment where I lost control and made incredibly hurtful and divisive comments.”
Chan’s video began going viral on Monday, aided by retweets from celebrities like singer Kelly Clarkson. The waitress who removed Mr Lofthouse from the restaurant has been praised by many for actions.
Mr Lofthouse has since released an apology statement, promising to “reflect on his actions”. He continued: “I can only imagine the stress and pain they feel. I was taught to respect people of all races, and I will take the time to reflect on my actions and work to better understand the inequality that so many of those around me face every day.”
His company, Solid8, later posted his apology to Twitter.
The incident, which continues to draw condemnation, further highlights the increasing focus on racism worldwide. It also underlines the importance of the behaviour of senior business professionals and how the lines between personal actions and beliefs can negatively impact on CEO’s businesses when they act poorly in the public domain.
