Silicon Valley has always been a place for unconventional thinkers and big ideas, but in 2024, it will be home to a number of former presidents and Convicted Felon Donald TrumpHe is an influential technology investor and All In PodcastDavid Sachs and Chamath Palihapitiya recently announced they would be hosting a fundraiser for Trump on Thursday. They join other tech leaders, including Elon Musk, who have stepped up their support for Trump and their dislike of President Biden.
“There are probably a lot of people who support Trump, but they don’t want to admit it,” Sachs said. Friday’s Episode All In“I think this event will trigger a chain reaction of preferences where suddenly it becomes acceptable to acknowledge the truth that many people support Trump.”
Sachs is the vice president of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. 2024 Presidential Campaign in Xis no stranger to Republicans, but Palihapitiya is one of several Silicon Valley figures who have warmed to conservative candidates in recent times, and although he has voted Democrat in the past, he considers himself an “apolitical person” who just “wants to hear Trump.”
Palihapitiya’s fundraising efforts All In Audience and authority. What started as a podcast has slowly grown into a well-funded media empire that recently hired its first CEO. This seems to be in keeping with a trend of Silicon Valley leaders seeking influence in the U.S. political and ideological sphere, often leaning to the right.
“I want this to be a place where fairness reigns,” Palihapitiya said. All In“And my hope is that in four years’ time, all the major candidates for president will look to All In first.”
Everyone who attended Sachs and Palihapitiya’s fundraisers will donate about $300,000 to the Trump campaign. BloombergThe other “friends” All In Podcasters Jason Calacanis and David Friedberg said they would not be attending, All In Though the fundraiser didn’t take place, Sachs said he was pleased that the platform has generated diverse voices, and on his podcast Friday he said the former president may make a guest appearance soon. All InBut they are not the only ones approaching Trump.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week President Trump has spoken about Elon Musk’s possible role as an adviser. Trump and Musk’s relationship has changed over the years, but now they I can tell you to talk on the phone A few times a month. Musk’s X, like TruthSocial, provides a forum for conservative voices. Trump’s X account has been reinstatedThe former president has yet to use it, but relations appear to be strained as Trump makes threats about it. Slam on the brakes of an electric car In the United States.
Investor Marc Andreessen has also been trying to exert political influence, though he has not explicitly supported Trump. He said he has become more politically active in recent days. packAccording to sources, his company has spent tens of millions of dollars on crypto-friendly regulation, which is probably why he’s campaigning for Trump. Just starting to embrace cryptocurrencies.
Conservatives radicalize technology
Just hours after the former president was convicted of 34 counts in a hush-money trial, Sequoia partner Sean Maguire announced he was donating $300,000 to Trump at X. “The timing was bad.” It’s not a coincidence.” he tweeted. Maguire wrote a lengthy post detailing how the Biden administration’s foreign policy and other issues have “radicalized him to the center.”
“It is entirely possible that President Trump will be convicted of a felony and sentenced to prison.” Mr. Maguire“And frankly, that’s part of the reason why I support him. I believe our justice system is being used as a weapon against him.”
Silicon Valley’s tech crowd is now much more Republican than it used to be. As the tech industry has gotten richer, conservative policies that favor limited government and tax cuts for the wealthy have become more popular in the industry. Not to mention the San Francisco Bay Area is plagued by homelessness and drug problems. Many in the tech industry feel that the Democratic Party’s light-hearted approach is ineffective here, and that conservative policies now resonate with them.
Identity politics is also a common thread. Tech bros Harvard University President Claudine Gay firedThey all emphasized how staunchly opposed diversity, equity and inclusion policies they are. COVID-19 is another issue on which Republicans and tech are largely united. All In The podcast saw Republican lawmakers express vindication after congressional hearings in which they grilled former chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci about the origins of COVID-19.
Some of these issues are recent, but many have been around for a long time. It’s possible that Biden, who is not the Democratic frontrunner, is tipping many people toward Trump. Or it’s possible that some of these issues are truly at a breaking point. Either way, many in Silicon Valley’s elite are ready to ignore their moral grievances against Trump if it means they can win on these issues.
A different way of thinking
To quote Apple, all of these political positions feature “think differently” stances, but they are driven by the same dissenting voices that have always flourished in the tech industry. But the industry has historically had “think differently” on the left. Google’s Sergey Brin has said: Same-sex marriage ban In 2008, billionaire investor Reid Hoffman Become notorious for funding the Democratic PartyNow, the opposition is leaning more to the right.
But Trump was not their first choice. All In The confidants have previously fundraised and spoken with RFK Jr., Dean Phillips and Vivek Ramaswamy, and Sachs has lent a hand to DeSantis, but none of those candidates have a real chance of getting to the White House, whereas Trump does.
Musk, Maguire, Andreessen, and All In In America, the best friends are becoming increasingly influential politically and ideologically. Silicon Valley has quickly become the center of American innovation and wealth, and with it comes new influence. They have money to spend, and Trump needs it. The former president has already shown he will do whatever it takes to win, and he may cave to the demands of the tech industry, giving Silicon Valley even more influence than it has ever had before.
