Affirm

California
Diversified Financials, Payment Processing

Corprate Bias Ratings

Risk Level:

Rating - Danger
High Risk

Affirm, a financial tech company, has cut ties with MyPillow after its CEO claimed that election fraud may have played a role in the outcome of the 2020 election. One of Affirm's executives stated that the company would not hesitate to end business relationships with clients who don't share their values. The company does not protect employees from viewpoint discrimination. It does support the Equality Act and transgender participation in female sports. It does not use corporate funds for ideological purposes. For these reasons, Affirm receives a High Risk rating.

Criteria
Risk Level
Rationale
Corporate Weaponization
Criteria

Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level
Rationale

CFO of Affirm Michael Linford has stated that “any merchant [that] isn’t aligned to our values, any partners unaligned to our values, we don’t do business with them” (1). Affirm also cut ties with MyPillow, after its CEO, Mike Lindell, claimed that election fraud may have played a part in the outcome of the 2020 election (2).

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level
Rationale

Affirm will not donate to “organizations funding religious services such as worship, seminary, yeshiva, or other education for ordainment of proselytism” (1).

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.

Risk Level
Rationale

Affirm does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (1).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Affirm signed an open letter opposing the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which prohibits teaching gender identity and sexual orientation in schools to children in K-3rd grade (1). The company was part of the Freedom for All Americans coalition, which advocated for federal legislation that would overrule state laws designed to protect girls’ sports and similar laws (2).

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Affirm has not used corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (1).

Criteria

Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level
Rationale

Affirm has not used its political contributions for ideological purposes (1).

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
October 7, 2023

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