CEOs look to bring together their divided customers, workers

CEOs of major companies are taking stands about the results of the election — a departure from the traditional model of not mixing politics with business that major brands have long espoused.

[...] another telecommunications executive, Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure, himself an immigrant and personally opposed to Trump, sent an email to employees saying that "it's our obligation to accept the will of our fellow Americans and respect the new leader."

CEOs of automakers, including Ford's Mark Fields, have also struck a conciliatory tone, partly because Trump has called for the repeal or renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which has allowed the automakers to set up shop in Mexico tariff-free.

Many CEOs publicly expressed hope that the tensions dividing the country will diminish, and that American consumers will set aside their fears and get back to what they do best: shop.

CEOs and companies that try to bring people together are "going to be the winners," says Dr. Larry Chiagouris, a marketing professor at Pace University's Lubin School of Business.

"The president-elect's commitment to infrastructure spending, government reform and tax reform — among other things — will be good for growth and, therefore, will be good for our clients and for our firm," said Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, according to a transcript of a voicemail he sent companywide.

In an email to his employees, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said the election of Trump shows "the frustration that so many people have with the lack of economic opportunity and the challenges they face."

Trump's victory drew a range of responses from CEOs in Silicon Valley, where popular sentiment had tilted strongly against Trump because of his statements on immigrants, women, overseas manufacturing and the use of encryption in consumer products like Apple's iPhones.