Yelp CEO says abortion rights stand is a risk worth taking

Many major companies have chosen to stay quiet on the abortion debate, but Yelp and its CEO Jeremy Stoppelman have chosen a different path.

The San Francisco-based online reviews site is among the handful of companies covering travel costs for employees and their dependents who must travel out of state to obtain an abortion, a thorny topic that's poised to become the chatter of many boardrooms if the Supreme Court overturns the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. If Roe falls, roughly half of U.S. states are expected to ban or put greater restrictions on abortion.

Antitrust reform is another big topic for the 44-year-old Stoppelman, who's been a vocal critic of Google and what he sees as the company's monopolistic practices. He spoke recently with The Associated Press about Yelp's abortion stance, the COVID-19 pandemic and antitrust legislation. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Q: The company has come out very forcefully in support of abortion rights. Do you have any fears that it’s going to put it in the crosshairs of conservative politicians, especially in light of what happened with Disney in Florida?

A: There’s always a risk with taking a stand. But our calculus is: this is one worth taking. It’s really important to our employees, especially our female employees. And I think it does have quite broad support. I’ve seen polling that suggests north of 70% of people in America feel that women should have the right to choose, along with the collaboration of their doctor. As a business leader, you’re often doing things that attract attention one way or the other. When you feel strongly, and feel like it’s the right thing to do — and the right thing for the company — you just have to move forward.

Q: Why do you think many major companies have...