Silicon Valley's Support for Trump and Vance

Prominent figures in Silicon Valley, including Elon Musk and Marc Andreessen, express support for Trump and VP pick J.D. Vance, particularly on small tech agenda.

### Silicon Valley's Mixed Reaction to Trump's VP Pick and Tech Policy Stance
* 👍  Prominent figures like Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, and Ben Horowitz have expressed support for Trump and his VP pick, J.D. Vance, particularly in relation to their **"small tech" agenda for startups**.
* 🏢  Small tech's key policy areas of interest include **open-sourcing AI**, **loosening crypto regulations**, and **reevaluating antitrust measures** that impact tech acquisitions and IPOs.
* 🤝  This support marks a **significant shift** for many in Silicon Valley, traditionally Democratic-leaning, but not all tech leaders are aligning with Trump.
* 📈  Democratic-leaning figures like Steve Ballmer and Marissa Mayer continue to back Biden, highlighting a **divided tech industry**.
* 🔊  The support for Trump is expected to grow **louder and potentially more divisive** as the election approaches, with ongoing debates and discussions within the tech community.

You've written brilliantly in the last 24-48 hours about essentially Silicon Valley's reaction to the events of the past week. The RNC and J.D. Vance being Trump's VP pick. Just summarize the reporting for us, please. Right. So there has been a huge outpouring of support for Trump and his VP nominee, Vance. Not only has Elon Musk and Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, as well as David Sacks, Doug Leone, and Sean Maguire from Sequoia Capital, all of these tech and venture capital big names, very prominent people here in Silicon Valley have all lined up to support Trump. And in recent weeks, with gaining momentum as more and more seem to like what he has to say about tech policy. Specifically, they realize in some ways this might be controversial for those that are in that family. That's certainly what Ben Horowitz spoke to, that people within that company.

Is that to take such an openly political
stance? But what is in it for small tech, as
they call it? Because from what we understand, while
the VP pick doesn't like big tech much. Right?
That's right. So on small tech, which is what Marc
Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, they call it their little tech agenda specifically
for startups. There's a couple of areas that they're
really hoping to to bend the ears of Trump and Vance on, including
potentially opening open sourcing A.I., loosening crypto regulation,
and possibly taking another look at the FTC in the antitrust regulations that
we've seen come down. And one of the reasons for that is
because although it does target big tech companies by preventing them from
acquiring smaller startups, it closes down that path as an exit for them.
And they can only IPO, which hasn't been very strong, hasn't been as strong in
recent years.

Is that we made the point on the show,
and we can illustrate it again with a visual representation of who has come
out in support of Trump. But it is many or some of Silicon
Valley. It's not all of Silicon Valley.
So what have you learned about any remaining support in that industry for
the Democratic Party or even those that have changed position along the way?
That's an excellent point, Ed. And again, the reason why this is so
significant on some ways is because it's been a major departure for many people
that have long time voted Democrat. But to your point, it's certainly not
all of Silicon Valley. These are some very prominent names that
are supporting him. But there's still a large contingent of
Democratic voters backing backing Biden. Certainly, you know, Steve Ballmer,
Marissa Mayer, quite a few others have traditionally supported Democrats.
And so, you know, the conversation is still very mixed.
It's certainly not all tech, and it's

certainly not all of Silicon Valley.
More broadly, is that is this likely to get louder as we go towards November?
Is it just that this is a moment in time where people lay their cards out and and
get on board the rest of those that they work with, and indeed the portfolio
companies understanding this? I think it will get increasingly louder,
more raucous, and potentially more more divisive.
If you look at some of the beefs happening right now playing out on the
platform because campaigns and, you know, gained steam as we get closer to
the election date. So I don't anticipate this ratcheting
down any time soon. Doesn't mean it won't stay civil.
We can, but we will look ahead to see how things will progress.

Andreessen, Horowitz Latest Tech VCs to Support Trump

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Silicon Valley's Support for Trump's VP Pick and Its Impact on Tech Policy

Prominent figures in Silicon Valley, including Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, and Ben Horowitz, have expressed support for Trump's VP pick, J.

Vance, despite the potential controversy within their companies.

The support is driven by a hope for favorable tech policies, particularly in open sourcing A.

, loosening crypto regulation, and reevaluating FTC antitrust regulations to benefit small tech startups.

This is in response to the VP pick's unfavorable stance on big tech and the limitations it imposes on the acquisition of smaller companies.

Silicon Valley's Divided Support in the US Election

Silicon Valley has seen a significant shift in support towards the Republican Party, particularly for Trump.

However, there are still prominent figures in the tech industry who continue to back the Democratic Party, leading to a mixed landscape of political support.

Anticipating Increased Noise and Tension in Silicon Valley Leading Up to November

Silicon Valley is expected to get louder and more divisive as the November election approaches, with ongoing beefs and campaigns gaining momentum.

The tension is likely to continue escalating, although civility may still be maintained to some extent.