Microsoft UK baas Michel Van der Bel tegen Brexit

Microsoft UK baas Michel Van der Bel heeft in een brief zich geuit tegen een mogelijke Brexit. Hij adviseert Britten om voor de EU te kiezen en daarin te blijven. De Nederlander Van der Bel schrijft dit aan partners, klanten en eigen werknemers. Het Verenigd Koninkrijk is volgens hem gebaat om bij de EU te blijven, een belangrijke criteria voor toekomstige investeringen van Microsoft en andere partijen.

Op 23 juni mogen Britten zich uiten of ze in de UE willen blijven of niet. Eerder zei Cisco baas Chuck Robbins dat de het Verenigd Koninkrijk beter af is binnen de EU.

Lees hier de brief:

Ahead of the referendum in June, we've been asked by employees, customers and partners about Microsoft's view on the UK's membership of the European Union. As a business in an industry which will be affected by the decision, we have carefully examined our position.

First and foremost, we want to emphasise that we firmly believe this is a decision for individual voters to make, based on the issues that are most important to them. We appreciate and respect that there are a range of reasons that motivate people on both sides of the debate, but as a business that is very committed to this country, our view is that the UK should remain in the EU.

We have a long history here. It's where we opened our first international office in 1982 and we have been investing in the UK ever since. We have more than 5,000 highly qualified people working in fields including support, marketing, gaming, communications, cybersecurity and computer science research. We've built a global centre of excellence for the development of artificial intelligence and other computing disciplines. We've also worked in partnership with innovators, entrepreneurs and people with a passion for technology to help to create a thriving partner network of around 25,000 British businesses. 

Historically, the UK being part of the EU has been one of several important criteria that make it one of the most attractive places in Europe for the range of investments we have made. At key moments in our international growth we have specifically chosen to invest in our capabilities here in the UK. Most recently, we announced that we would start offering cloud services this year from new UK-based datacentres. And as we've grown, so too have the UK technology businesses we work with.

For us, the UK's membership of a wider EU was also a key reason why we chose to invest in our first overseas R&D laboratory in Cambridge. Why? Because we knew that the world-leading scientists we wanted to attract would want and need to work directly alongside other great researchers from across the region. This flexibility of doing business attracts the best people, and the investment that follows them, to the UK.

Whatever the outcome of the referendum, we respect the decisions made by UK voters. Our commitment to our staff and business here remains firm, but we also believe the UK remaining in the EU supports important criteria for continued and future investment by Microsoft and others.

Yours sincerely,

Michel Van der Bel

UK CEO
Microsoft Ltd