Tech CEO resigns because of his racist outburst against FilAm family

INSTAGRAM

Unfortunately for tech CEO Michael Lofthouse, the world will remember him by this image.

ASAM NEWS

Tech entrepreneur Michael Lofthouse confirmed to Fox Business that he has resigned from his position as CEO of Solid8 after his much publicized racist tirade against a Filipino American family.

The incident which occurred July 4 in the California coastal town of Carmel Valley went viral after Jordan Chan posted a video of the incident on social media.

“It is with regret that my initial statement and apology did not go far enough in addressing my behavior in Carmel last weekend and the steps that I need to take. I can confirm that I have stepped down from Solid8, terminating all business relationships with immediate effect,” Lofthouse said in his statement issued late Saturday (July 11).

“I will make it my duty to ensure my personal actions do not continue to have a detrimental impact on those people closest to me. I have once again begun my journey back to sobriety and have enrolled in an anti-racist program with immediate effect. My comments towards the families involved were racist, hurtful and deeply inappropriate. The reactions to what was said have been deserved and I wholeheartedly acknowledge that I am complicit in a system that enables this behavior and these broken beliefs to exist but I am dedicated to changing.”

Unfortunately for Lofthouse, despite his apology and resignation, the lasting image of the former CEO is him staring at the camera displaying the infamous one-finger salute to the family.

In an interview with AsAmNews, Raymond Orosa says Lofthouse has not reached out directly to his family. However, he told us earlier this week he hopes Lofthouse takes responsibility for his actions.

“Despite one bad apple, there’s so many good people around who will help you. As long as we all help each other the way they did, we can have a loud voice without any violence. It’s like one big family help us. That’s such an amazing feeling.”

The Orosa-Chan family was celebrating a birthday at Lucia restaurant at Bernardus Lodge & Spa  when Lofthouse, unprovoked, blurted out ‘”You f*cking Asians. You f*cking Asians. Trump is going to F* you up,”

The stunned family pushed back, asking him what was wrong with him. “I’ve dealt with racism before but never on that scale,” Chan told KPIX 5. “Never on the level where somebody completely unprovoked felt obligated to voice their hatred for absolutely no reason.”

INSTAGRAM

The Chan-Orosa families in the midst of celebrating a birthday before the incident with Michael Lofthouse occurred.

Lucia server Gennica Cochran intervened, telling Lofthouse that such behavior would not be tolerated. She told him he was not welcomed at the restaurant and told him to leave.

With hours of the video posting, netizens had learned his name and that he is from Great Britain, the name of his startup company and the firms Solid8 did business with, including Salesforce. Salesforce, in particular was urged to cut ties with Solid8.

The Internet also learned that this is not the first time, nor last time Lofthouse, displayed troubling behavior.

After the Carmel incident, he continued to attack those people who called him out for his. racist attitude. 

The Internet also discovered that in 2016, Lofthouse was convicted of Vandalism and charged with Domestic Battery and Damage to a Telephone/Powerline. The last two charges were dismissed as part of a plea deal which resulted in Lofthouse being sentenced to two days in jail, three years of probation, community service and being issued a restraining order. 

Lofthouse continued his apology by pleading for the Chan and Orosa families to accept his apology. 

"To the Chan and Orosa families, Gennica Cochran and the restaurant Bernardus please accept my heartfelt and sincere apologies, I hope that the conversations and awareness that this incident has created can act as a catalyst for necessary change," he said.

"It is my commitment to you to overcome my issues and be part of the solution for an equal and compassionate future."

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.

Stranger interrupts FilAm family's birthday celebration with racist slurs

Michael Lofthouse responded to being video recorded.

A Filipino American family's birthday celebration on July 4th  turned ugly when a racist interrupted the family gathering with a rant of racist insults.

Visiting the Carmel Valley near Monterey, California, the family was at the Bernardus Lodge and Spa’s Lucia restaurant to celebrate his wife Mari’s special day. 

“We were having fun, playing games and when we were having dessert, suddenly, we hear somebody behind us yelling, ‘You f---ing Asians,” Raymond Orosa told the Asian Journal.

"We were shocked. All I could say was, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ because I didn’t want to react in a manner that could trigger something. I didn’t know how violent he could be and didn’t want to jeopardize the safety of my family,” Orosa said.

Jordan Chan, a niece of the celebrant and who was recording the celebration turned her cellphone to the interloper who continued his racist rant.

“Trump’s going to f*ck you. You f*ckers need to leave,” the man can be heard saying on video posted on Instagram. “F*cking Asian people sh*t.”

A restaurant employee can later be seen coming to the aid of the Asian-American family. The waitress can be seen saying “You do not talk to our guests like that! They are valued guests. Get out!” She later escorted Lofthouse off the premises.

Within hours after posting the video, netizens identified the man as Michael Lofthouse, CEO of a tecch company Solid8 based in San Francisco. Social media users began bombing the company website.

Unfortunately, a good portion of the virtual bombs went to a company based in London that used the same name.

Lofthouse deleted his social media accounts and Twitter suspended his account.

Lofthouse issued a statement to a local ABC affiliate “My behavior in the video is appalling. This was clearly a moment where I lost control and made incredibly hurtful and divisive comments. I would like to deeply apologize to the Chan family. I can only imagine the stress and pain they feel. I was taught to respect people of all races, and I will take the time to reflect on my actions and work to better understand the inequality that so many of those around me face every day.”

“It is no coincidence that this man has the audacity to showcase such blatant racism on the 4th of July. White supremacy has a notorious habit of masquerading as patriotism!” Chan wrote in the Instagram post with the video that went viral.

Attacks against Asians have risen sharply because some people blame them for the spread of the coronavirus. The incidents have been fueld by the racist rhetoric coming out the White House and the insistence of Donald Trump and his staff to refer the coronavirus as the "China virus" "Wuhan virus" and the "kung flu."

Recent data from the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center showed that over 2000 incidents of discrimination and hate against Asians have been reported nationwide, 832 in California alone.

“Despite the fact that racism still exists, it shouldn’t stop us from doing the right thing,” Orosa said. “If we have one unified voice and speak up, the better it is for people to understand that we can do this and protect each other from people like this guy, Michael.”

“The fact that Donald Trump is our president (i.e. THE MOST POWERFUL MAN IN THE WORLD) gives racists a platform and amplifies voices of hate," Chan wrote on her Instagram posting. "The surfacing of racists is so prevalent right now, even in such an ethnically/culturally diverse and liberal state like California, because Trump HIMSELF uses his position to incite racial tension and to promote aggression towards POC, foreigners, and immigrants. We need change!” Chan continued in her post, encouraging people to vote in November."