Silicon Valley has always been a hub for unconventional thinkers with big ideas, but in 2024, that includes former presidents and convicted felon donald trump. Two influential tech investors and presenters All podcastsDavid Sacks and Chamath Palihapitiya recently announced they would host a fundraiser for Trump on Thursday. They join other tech leaders, including Elon Musk, in expressing support for Trump and growing disdain for President Joe Biden.
“I know there are going to be a lot of people who support Trump, but they don’t want to admit it,” Sacks said. Friday’s episode All-in. “I think this event will break that logjam and maybe it will create a cascade of preferences where all of a sudden it becomes acceptable to acknowledge the fact that a lot of people support Trump.”
Sacks helped announce Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointment 2024X Presidential Campaign, is no stranger to the Republican Party. Palihapitiya, however, is one of many Silicon Valley influencers who have become more friendly to conservative candidates recently. Although he has voted Democratic in the past, he considers himself an “apolitical person” who just wants to “hear what Trump has to say.”
Palihapitiya’s fundraising efforts could also be an attempt at growth All-in Audience and authority. What started as a podcast is slowly growing into a well-funded media empire that recently hired its first CEO. This appears to be a trend among Silicon Valley leaders, who are increasingly seeking influence across the political and ideological spectrum in the U.S. — and they tend to lean to the right.
“I want this to be a just place,” Palihapitiya said. All-in. “My hope is that four years from now, every major presidential political candidate will have ‘all in’ as their top priority.”
Each participant in the Sachs and Palihapitiya fundraiser will donate about $300,000 to Trump’s campaign Bloomberg. Other “best friends” such as All-in The podcasters, who identified themselves as Jason Calacanis and David Friedberg, noted that they would not be participating and clarified that this was not a one-time All-in Fundraiser, but glad their platform fosters a variety of opinions. Sachs said on Friday’s podcast that the former president may soon be a guest on the show. All-in. However, they are not the only ones cozying up to Trump.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Trump discusses possible advisory role for Elon Musk If he is elected. Trump and Musk’s relationship has changed over the years, but now they Reportedly speaking on the phone Several times a month. Musk’s X provides a platform for conservative speech, just as Truth Social does — he even Trump’s X account restored, although the former president has yet to use it. However, since Trump threatened to Put the brakes on the electric car In the U.S.
Investor Marc Andreessen also hopes to exert his political influence, although he has not yet explicitly endorsed Trump. According to a report, Anderson is now more politically active than ever. ice hockeySources say his company has invested tens of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency-friendly regulation. Maybe that’s why Trump is running Just starting to embrace cryptocurrency.
conservative radicalization of technology
Just hours after the former president was found guilty on 34 counts in his hush money trial, Sequoia Capital partner Shaun Maguire announced on X that he would donate $300,000 to Trump . “opportunity It’s no coincidence,” he tweeted. Maguire penned a lengthy essay detailing his “radicalization toward centrism” over the Biden administration’s foreign policy and other issues.
“President Trump is likely to be convicted of a felony and sentenced to prison time,” Maguire says. “Frankly, that’s part of the reason why I support him. I believe our justice system is being weaponized against him.
Silicon Valley’s current crop of tech bros are more Republican than ever. As the tech industry becomes wealthier, conservative policies that favor limited government and lower taxes on the wealthy have become increasingly popular in the industry. Not to mention, the Bay Area has been plagued by homelessness and drug problems. Many in the tech community believe that Democrats’ flippant approach isn’t working here and that conservative policies are now speaking to them.
Identity politics is also common ground. Tech bros are speaking out during this period Harvard University President Claudine Gay ousted, both of whom made it clear how adamantly they oppose diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. Covid-19 is another issue on which Republicans and tech bros largely agree. Friday, All-in The podcast expressed a sense of vindication after Dr. Anthony Fauci’s congressional hearings, in which Republican members of Congress spoke out against the former chief medical adviser about the origins of covid-19.
While some of these problems are modern, many of them have been around for some time. Although Biden is not a particularly strong candidate for the Democratic Party, he may be pushing many people towards Trump. Perhaps some of these issues have indeed reached a breaking point. Regardless, many Silicon Valley elites are now willing to put aside their moral complaints about Trump if it means winning on these issues.
Think differently
To quote Apple, there seems to be a “think different” attitude underlying all of these political stances, fueled by the contrarian perspective that has always been prevalent in the tech space. However, the industry has historically “thought differently” than the left. Google’s Sergey Brin condemns Same-sex marriage ban In 2008, billionaire investor Reid Hoffman Notorious for funding Democrats. Now, the contrarian voices are turning to the right.
However, Trump is not their first choice. this All-in Friends have previously held fundraisers and conversations with RFK Jr., Dean Phillips and Vivek Ramaswamy, while Sacks has previously reached out to Desantis. But these candidates don’t have a real chance of winning the White House, while Trump does.
Musk, Maguire, Anderson and other technological figures All-in Besties are becoming an increasingly influential political and ideological voice in the United States. Silicon Valley quickly became the center of American innovation and wealth, and with it came new levels of influence. They have money to spend, and Trump needs it. The former president has shown he will do whatever it takes to win, so he may give in to tech’s demands and give Silicon Valley more influence than ever before.
