[US Election 2024] Silicon Valley Divided Amid Ultra-Close Race

'Trump Supporter' Musk
Donates to Bill Gates Harris... Unusual Statement
Preemptive Alignment with Next President... 'Verbal Clash' Debate

With less than a week remaining until the U.S. presidential election, the race remains tight, and even in Silicon Valley, traditionally considered a 'Democratic stronghold,' opinions are sharply divided.

Silicon Valley has historically shown strong support for the Democratic Party, but unlike the Biden administration, which has strengthened Big Tech regulations, it has recently shown a favorable attitude toward former President Trump, who is friendly to new industries such as cryptocurrency. While openly expressing strong support, some are also working behind the scenes to build relationships with the next president in advance.

Elon Musk Tesla CEO

Elon Musk’s Passionate Support for Trump... Gates Breaks Silence

A prime example is Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla. Musk, who was critical during former President Donald Trump’s administration, has transformed into an ardent supporter in this election, actively supporting Trump both materially and morally.

On the 27th, he took the stage at Madison Square Garden in the heart of New York City to deliver a speech supporting former President Trump and participated in discussions, leading the campaign efforts. According to Bloomberg, as of the 16th, Musk had donated $132 million (approximately 182.6 billion KRW) to former President Trump and the Republican Party, ranking among the top political donors in the U.S. this year.

As the race tightens, those who had maintained political neutrality and silence are stepping forward. According to The New York Times (NYT), Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, unofficially donated $50 million (approximately 6.92 billion KRW) to the Democratic Super PAC 'Future Forward,' which supports Vice President Harris. Gates, who had previously refrained from expressing political views, unusually stated, "I support candidates who demonstrate a clear commitment to improving healthcare, reducing poverty, and combating climate change in the U.S. and worldwide." His ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, is also reported to have donated to Vice President Harris.

As competition intensifies, 'partisan divides' have emerged. David Sacks, co-founder of PayPal, posted a list of Trump supporters on his X (formerly Twitter) account in July. The list included Ben Horowitz, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz; Bill Ackman, founder of Pershing Square Capital; the Winklevoss twins; Doug Leone, co-founder of Sequoia Capital; and Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal. However, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Horowitz abruptly changed his stance earlier this month, announcing he would make a substantial donation to support Vice President Harris’s campaign.

On the other side, over 200 Silicon Valley figures issued a statement of support through a website called 'Venture Capitalists for Kamala.' The list includes Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn; Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, which invested in OpenAI; Mark Cuban, former NBA Dallas Mavericks owner and cryptocurrency investor; renowned angel investor Ron Conway; and billionaire Chris Sacca.

Bill Gates, Founder of MS
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Building Relationships in Advance... Heated Exchanges with Insults Like "Lost Your Mind"

Some companies are lining up early. OpenAI, developer of ChatGPT, hired Aaron Chatterji, a Duke University business school professor who worked under the Obama and Biden administrations, as chief economist last month. In August, Chris Lehane, who served in the Clinton administration, was appointed vice president of public affairs.

Several companies are attempting to improve relations with former President Trump. Trump recently revealed that he spoke with Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google; Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon; and Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. Additionally, The Washington Post (WP), owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced it would not publicly endorse any candidate in this election for the first time in 36 years. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, known as a Democrat and a longtime adversary of Trump, reached out via phone call to wish Trump well after an assassination attempt, signaling a move toward reconciliation.

As the presidential race intensifies, both camps have exchanged harsh insults in a tense battle. In August, Musk called Vinod Khosla, a major venture capitalist and founder of Khosla Ventures, "lost his mind," citing Khosla’s aversion to former President Trump.

Musk, who had previously shown an eco-friendly approach by running an electric vehicle company, has become an ardent supporter of Trump, leading green technology investors to label him a "traitor."

Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and known as a Democrat, had a verbal dispute in July with his friend and OpenAI co-founder Peter Thiel after Thiel declared his support for former President Trump.