Affirm

California
Diversified Financials, Payment Processing

Risk Level:

Rating - Danger
High Risk

Summary:

Affirm has not publicly fired employees or canceled business relationships due to religious or political beliefs. However, one of its executives stated that the company would not hesitate to end business relationships with clients who don't share their values. Affirm does not protect employees from viewpoint discrimination, but it does support the Equality Act and transgender participation in female sports. The company 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

Affirm has not publicly terminated business relationships due to religious or political beliefs. However, CFO 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).

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 protect its employees from viewpoint discrimination (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 also signed a letter supporting transgender participation in women’s and girls’ sports (2).

Criteria

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

Risk Level
Rationale

Affirm does not donate to ideological groups hostile to freedom of expression (1).

Criteria

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

Risk Level
Rationale

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

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
March 21, 2023

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