For weeks, Donald Trump seemed to dominate the tech trend in the election, with some Silicon Valley giants rallying behind the former president. However, the tide appears to be shifting now that Kamala Harris has entered the race following Biden's dropout. A recent report indicates that executives from Google, Netflix, and OpenAI are organizing a fundraiser for Harris in Washington, DC, later this month.
A major event is scheduled for August 27th, just as the U.S. election campaigns are heating up before the November showdown. The organizing committee includes policy leaders from Google, Netflix, and OpenAI, along with senior representatives from JPMorgan, McKinsey & Company, and the Omidyar Network, a foundation started by eBay's Pierre Omidyar.
The substantial backing from the tech sector might be a strategic counter to Republican candidate Donald Trump's endorsements from major tech figures, such as Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel, the Winklevoss twins, and John Paulson among others. Additionally, Trump's VP pick, Ohio Senator JD Vance, a former venture capitalist with ties to tech and crypto industries, could further influence Silicon Valley's stance.
Amid allegations of Google favoring Kamala Harris by manipulating search results related to Donald Trump and the #cancelNetflix trend—following Netflix's $7 million donation to a super PAC supporting Harris—it seems the Vice President's political campaign has finally started making noise in Silicon Valley.
Initially, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman expressed support for Kamala Harris the day Joe Biden announced his withdrawal. Previously, major Democratic donors had been reluctant to back Biden's second term due to growing concerns about his public gaffes and questions about his cognitive health. However, sentiment shifted with Harris entering the race.
Following this, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings also publicly endorsed Harris and contributed $7 million to her campaign after former President Barack Obama's endorsement. On the same day, a new website called "VCs for Kamala" popped up, featuring more than a hundred venture capitalists who've promised to vote for her and help her raise money, reports Business Insider.
The report also claimed that the August fundraiser will also have Josh Hsu, who used to be Harris' top lawyer in the White House, and Rohini Kosoglu, who worked as a domestic policy advisor for the vice president.
This fundraiser comes at a critical juncture for Harris, who recently secured the Democratic nomination after Joe Biden's exit. In less than three months, voters will choose their next president. However, an official confirmation from the techies is still awaited.
