On Tuesday, November 5, millions of Americans will head to the polls to select the next president of the United States. The primary candidates are Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, the current vice president, and former President Donald Trump from the Republican Party. As the election approaches, the stance of influential tech leaders on these candidates could significantly shape the tech industry’s future policies regarding artificial intelligence, social media, and antitrust regulation.
Tech Leaders Supporting Kamala Harris
Several prominent figures in Silicon Valley have thrown their support behind Kamala Harris:
- Mark Cuban: The entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” judge has endorsed Harris, citing her as “not an ideologue” and arguing that a second Trump administration would harm small businesses. Cuban previously supported Trump in 2015.
- Vinod Khosla: The Silicon Valley investor and founder of Khosla Ventures has declared his intention to vote for Harris, emphasizing her alignment with his vision for the future.
- Sheryl Sandberg: The former COO of Meta was quick to endorse Harris following President Biden’s withdrawal from the race, praising her leadership and commitment to women’s rights.
- Bill Gates: The Microsoft co-founder has privately donated over $50 million to a nonprofit supporting Harris, highlighting his belief in her candidacy.
- Melinda French Gates: The philanthropist and former wife of Bill Gates also supports Harris, stating she is the “right candidate, right now.”
- Reed Hastings: The Netflix executive chairman has contributed over $7 million to Harris’ campaign through a super PAC.
- Reid Hoffman: The LinkedIn co-founder signed an open letter along with 87 other business leaders endorsing Harris.
- Sam Altman: The CEO of OpenAI has not publicly declared his endorsement but has donated to the Harris Victory Fund.
Tech Leaders Backing Donald Trump
Conversely, several high-profile tech executives are aligning with Trump:
- Elon Musk: The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has actively campaigned for Trump, expressing concerns over a potential Harris presidency. Musk has indicated willingness to lead a government department under Trump and has engaged in controversial campaign tactics, such as a $1 million daily giveaway in swing states, which faced legal scrutiny.
- Peter Thiel: The PayPal co-founder and Facebook investor supports Trump but has opted out of financially contributing to his campaign, stating he will offer support in other ways.
- Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz: The leaders of a major venture capital firm are backing Trump, claiming that the current administration’s regulations have hindered startups.
- Douglas Leone: The former head of Sequoia Capital has voiced his concerns about various issues in the country and has endorsed Trump.
While some tech executives have made their preferences clear, others are more discreet:
- Musk is currently the only Fortune 500 CEO to openly endorse Trump. However, Trump claims to have received support from various tech CEOs in private communications, including:
- Sundar Pichai: Allegedly praised Trump for serving food at a campaign event.
- Tim Cook: Supposedly contacted Trump to discuss Apple’s regulatory challenges in the EU.
- Mark Zuckerberg: Reportedly reached out to Trump following a July assassination attempt against him.
Additionally, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos reportedly intervened to prevent The Washington Post from endorsing Kamala Harris, leading to over 200,000 cancellations of digital subscriptions following the incident.
As the election draws closer, the decisions and endorsements from these influential tech leaders may impact voter sentiment and the future direction of technology policy in the United States.
