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Box CEO Aaron Levie isn't one to keep his mouth shut, providing often witty commentary on Twitter, at conferences and on television about Silicon Valley and the state of the industry.
SEE ALSO:What CEOs are saying about the Muslim ban, and what they actually meanIn the last two years, it's been a lot of talk on Trump and politics. On Thursday, the enterprise startup CEO (@levie) spoke on CNBC's Closing Belland discussed how politics has affected his business and the tech industry at large.
"There's no question that there's a lot of noise right now, and it's reaching kind of fever pitch. There are so many issues today where policy intersects with business and intersects with our ability to be competitive," Levie said.
"While we've loved to be able to separate policy and politics from business, there are so many things that impact our way of life and our competitiveness," he continued.
He brought up:
Immigration Reform
Encryption Policy
Privacy Issues
Global Trade
Healthcare
Levie and the anchor entered in a somewhat awkward discussion on the United States's bi-partisan setup and whether that disrupts progress.
"It's unfortunate that our bi-partisan system equates a side to each issue as opposed to letting us discuss each issue on its own merit and be able to focus on how do we have an economy and a country that can let companies stay innovative," he said.
Some Silicon Valley CEOs have been scrutinized for their stances and action (or more negatively inaction) on each of the above issues. Many companies have signed amicus briefs in response to policies enacted by the Trump administration.
The loudest response from the Valley came in response to President Trump's ban on immigrants arriving from seven Muslim-majority nations. Ninety seven tech companies had signed a 54-page amicus brief, with dozens more joining in the following days.
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TopicsDonald TrumpPolitics