Silicon Valley is split in the 2024 presidential election, with some backing Kamala Harris while others support Donald Trump.
As Americans vote for their next president, Silicon valley appears to be divided on who to vote for as the occupant of the White House — Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris or Republican pick Donald Trump.
No clear favourite are in sight for Silicon Valley in the 2024 US presidential elections as some tech titans have chosen to back Harris while many have leaned right and thrown their weight behind Trump. Then, there are those who have remained tight-lipped about their pick.
These tech leaders support Kamala Harris:
Indian-origin Silicon Valley investor Vinod Khosla has decided to vote for Kamala Harris. Before Harris became the Democratic nominee, Khosla also supported US President Joe Biden’s re-election bid.
(Also read: Trump’s Brit ally says ex-prez should ‘go and play golf’ if he loses election)
A report by New York Times suggested that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates donated over $50 million to a non-profit that is supporting Harris. Shark Tank fame tech entrepreneur Mark Cuban has publicly endorsed Kamala Harris while hitting out at Trump saying his comeback to the White House would destroy small businesses.
Former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg backed Kamala Harris calling her “a fierce advocate of abortion rights” and the “strongest candidate” in the fray.
Bill Gates’ ex-wife and billionaire Melinda French Gates called Kamala Harris the “right candidate, right now” while executive chairman of Netflix Reed Hastings donated over $7 million towards Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman donated to the Harris Victory Fund, according to Fortune. But he has not publicly endorsed a particular candidate.
Tech giants backing Donald Trump
Tech billionaire Elon Musk has become the biggest supporter of Donald Trump in the recent month, especially after the assassination attempt on the former US president during a rally. The richest man in the world has been passionately campaigning for Trump, offline and online.
PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel has decided to vote for Trump saying “I am still very strongly pro-Trump, pro-JD. I’ve decided not to donate any money politically, but I’m supporting them in every other way possible”
Former head of Sequoia Capital Douglas Leone is another Silicon Valley elite who is backing Trump.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Apple boss Tim Cook have not made their choice for the next US president clear.
