What compelled you in the first instance to be a part of this movement? And what is it that you see in Kamala Harris as being the right president for the technology industry? Yeah, I'll, I'll start really quick with that. I think what we've had is a few people with big microphones, if you will, to be able to talk about their support of Trump and Vance. Why we founded Tech for Kamala was to give voice to the over 7 million tech workers, people who work every day at some of the most well-known tech companies, VCs, founders, operators, engineers, marketers, you name it, and all the industries that are related to tech, to give voice to other people who actually feel completely different and, in fact, are supporting Kamala Harris for all of the work that she has already done in supporting things like responsible A.I., STEM education, and just being a real innovative leader. So that is why we founded the

organization. And I got to tell you, Ed, within like a week we had over 1,200 people who wanted to jump on the bandwagon and also announce their support. So, you know, it's one vote for one person, whether you have a lot of money or a big microphone, we still all get one vote. And so this movement has aimed to give voice to the millions of people who have one vote and want to make sure that their vote is heard. Mayor Bay and your city, San Jose, is just so closely and intimately linked to the technology industry as well. You come at this, I guess, from the political perspective, but why do you think that the technology industry is an important voice in backing your preferred candidate? Well, before I was mayor of San Jose, which is the capital of Silicon Valley, with nearly 1 million residents, really the hometown for tech's workforce and home to many leading technology companies like Adobe, Zoom, Cisco, PayPal, and on and on.

I was in the tech sector myself. In fact, I first met Kamala Harris about a decade ago at Airbnb, which was just down the street from a startup that I was involved in founding and leading. And I was very impressed with her. You know, she came in sharing her work on public safety, which continues to be top of mind for all of us. And she has great experience there. But she also engaged with a number of us who were tech entrepreneurs and founders around innovation topics. She understood the importance of having a diverse workforce and supporting immigration, intellectual property, and the kinds of infrastructure investments that we need and a common-sense approach to regulation. So I'm really excited that she's the top of the ticket. Shannon Mayor makes an interesting point, which is policy-specific policy when it comes to technology, antitrust, artificial intelligence. I think a lot of people are asking questions. Are there specific ways that Vice

President Harris will be different from President Biden's administration on the policy side as it relates to tech? Yeah. Look what I think that she's coming out with. A lot of her policy is that, as you know, she she's she's got 90 days or less. Right. In terms of of making her voice heard. What I will say to you is that we believe in an administration that continues some of the things that President Biden was working on. I think that she will also bring a fresh perspective. She you know, she's from here. She's on that. She was an attorney general. She has spent a lot of time, as Matt has said, really listening to, you know, what would be innovative for tech. And so I think that we're going to see a lot of of of policies and things that are really helpful for the tech industry, but also that are inclusive. And I think that's really important to

point out about, you know, something that I think a lot of people in tech would like to see. My man. Local issues are guests in that soundbite and can just now reflect on Kamala Harris being from the bay and outside of technology. There are issues actually statewide, but the clearing of encampments or encampment sweeps, for example, following the SCOTUS Grants Pass decision. It's an interesting case study. How do you feel that that issue will be addressed by the Harris campaign and how central as an issue do you think it will be in a presidential election at large? Look, I want a partner in the White House who is not going to use Silicon Valley or California more broadly, merely as a punching bag. I want a partner who is pragmatic, who understands our region, who's going to help us deal with the very real challenges we face. You mentioned homelessness, which is an area where we are getting getting more

pragmatic. San Jose saw a 15% reduction last year. We need a partner in Washington who's going to help fund innovative solutions. Same goes for public safety. That's an area where I appreciate that Kamala Harris has been a pragmatic centrist, and I think the right approach is. Mad, mad man. I just jump in and ask. From the Trump Vance perspective, the messaging of that campaign is that Kamala Harris has been responsible for what they see as being big issues with Bay Area and California cities. Your city is under the microscope. To that extent. Are you worried about that message resonating from the Trump Vance campaign? No, I'm not, because I think Kamala Harris has a record that stands on its own and she can speak to her policy positions, which it's you know, it's kind of ironic. She gets attacked from both sides for being too tough on crime or being

associated with what some perceive as California's crime problem. I think she's right down the middle, and that's exactly where I am. Somebody who understands there has to be consequences for committing crime. But we also should invest in rehabilitation and support those with addiction and helping them get treatment. So I think she's got the right pragmatic approach, and we need that kind of partner in Washington as we navigate some very real challenges that our state faces. Shannon, I want to finally go back to the idea that we talked about at the start, that many came on this program and said J.D. Vance understands entrepreneurs. He has been a venture capitalist, whether you see that as a positive or otherwise. They see him as being supportive of technology because of his direct industry experience. What would your answer to that be? And do you see the same level of support for entrepreneurship from Kamala Harris? I think that Kamala Harris actually, I

see more support, quite frankly, from Kamala Harris for entrepreneurship. I think that she's shown that already just by the simple fact that, you know, you've reported on how quickly so many people have mobilized. It hasn't even been two weeks. Right. In terms of supporting her and supporting this ticket, I think her VP pick is also really impressive. And so what I would say to you is it's one thing to have people come on the show with big microphones. It's another thing to listen to the people. The 7 million people that are in tech, listen to what they're interested in, what they're interested in for their future, for their families. Who who in the White House will most represent them. And I think that that clear choice is Kamala Harris.

Kamala Harris Gets Support of 1,200 Tech Workers

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