Elon Musk, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, called tech investor and Democrat Vinod Khosla a “psycho” on the X platform for his rejection of Trump.
Aaron Levie, CEO of Kamala Harris-backing Box, suggested that investor David Sachs may be under the influence of “cough syrup” to back the Republican candidate.
Green tech investors, who once admired Musk, called him a traitor to their principles for siding with Trump.
Such political divisions have been rare in previous elections, as the tech industry has historically leaned left. But in this election, a few influential leaders, including Musk, have opened their wallets to support Trump and become more vocal in shifting to the Republican Party line, sparking backlash from others who had previously been quiet about their policies.
silicon tension
This political divide is affecting business relations and testing old friendships.
“Silicon Valley is in a state of extreme tension right now because there are two opposing camps of people doing business together,” says Sam Singer, a public relations expert who has managed campaigns for Democratic politicians.
The Democrats’ efforts have been boosted by the presidential bid by Harris, a Bay Area native. In recent weeks, Harris has attended a fundraiser in San Francisco organized with LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, which raised more than $13 million.
Harris’s tech supporters thought her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention had surprises in it, as she talked about providing opportunity and capital not just for small business owners but also for founders and innovators, and emphasized the importance of innovation and the need for leadership in areas like artificial intelligence.
Trump’s tech backers responded with skepticism on social media, with some seeking to bolster independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s support for Trump.
Trump supporters in Silicon Valley have expressed concerns that Harris would raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations and impose regulatory hurdles on emerging industries like cryptocurrencies.
Harmeet Dhillon, a lawyer who represented Trump and a member of the Republican National Committee in California, said they believe Trump will end the increased scrutiny of mergers and acquisitions that began under Biden.
Relationships between old tech colleagues are changing rapidly.
“I wonder how I will feel when I discover more friends or colleagues joining the Trump faction,” Josh Felzer, a green tech investor, wrote in a LinkedIn post in August, adding that “our relationships may be forever changed, and I suspect history will not look kindly on them.”
Some women in tech have started forming groups like Tech4Kamala, VCs for Kamala, and Founders for Kamala to rally support for Harris.
“We are seeing unprecedented polarization,” said Ida Collins Coleman, co-founder of Tech4Kamala.
In a poll of venture capitalists conducted by VCs for Kamala last week, most said they believed the loud voices of a handful of billionaire Trump backers did not represent the tech industry.
The 225 people who took part in the poll said they generally agreed with Harris, and that Washington should make it easier for tech workers to obtain visas.
Tensions have been simmering for a while.
In mid-August, Ben Horowitz, a founding partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, attacked former Sequoia Capital CEO Michael Moritz, who partly funds the news site The San Francisco Standard.
Horowitz, a Democratic donor turned Trump supporter, accused Moritz of commissioning an article questioning why he and his wife had changed politically.
“Sir Michael Moritz is now running his ‘fake newspaper’ to fabricate articles against me and my wife,” Horowitz said.
Some founders and investors who work in green energy and were fans of Musk are angry that he did not respond to Trump’s dismissal of environmental concerns during a long conversation with the Tesla chief on the X platform.
In July, Hoffman and Thiel, who worked together at PayPal alongside Musk and Sachs, clashed over their political views at a high-profile Sun Valley conference.
Hoffman, who has donated more than $10 million to the Biden and Harris presidential campaigns, said billionaires no longer talk to each other because of Thiel’s political views.
Zynga founder Mark Pincus said he is not endorsing either candidate in this election, adding: “We believe so deeply that our side is right that we morally judge the other side. We’ve all crossed the line.”
#Harris #Trump #ignite #war #Silicon #Valley
