Silicon Valley Split: Billionaire Tech Leaders Vs Trump

Jeremy Lyons political spark against Donald Trump has been an age old conversation starting with Silicon Valley’s campus to protest immigration restrictions leading to quitting of Google employees. The CEO and co-founder of Google joined them as well. The protest continued against Trump with a distinctive voice. 

An unidentified tech worker headed an army of like minds with a bullhorn in downtown San Jose on April 5th. Though there were thousands of marchers, none of them harassed the drivers of Tesla, who are now part pro-Trump icon. 

“One of the things I’ve seen over that time is a shift from a nerdy utopia to a money first, move fast and break things,” Lyons said. 

Difference of opinions has begun echoing at the Silicon Valley even if the tech industry’s political loyalty remains divided. The stark environment has led to nervous and discouraged workers who have remained liberal. 

“I think you’re seeing a real gap between the leadership elite here in Silicon Valley and their workforce,” said Ann Skeet, who helps run a center at Santa Clara University studying the ethics of the tech industry. 

“The shift hasn’t been for a lot of people,” said Lenny Siegel, a former mayor of Mountain View and longtime liberal activist in the valley. “It’s a handful of people who’ve gotten the attention.” 

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX has shown his unwavering support for Trump by helping him overcome the troubles faced by federal agencies. Along with Musk, David Sacks, Marc Andreesen, Sundar Pichai and Mark Zuckerberg also attended Trump’s inauguration in Washington.  Trump’s campaign fundraiser was executed by David Sacks who became he White House’s artificial intelligence and crypto currency czar. Zuckerberg praised Trump by donating $1 million to the president’s inauguration fund. 

The administration’s posts of Trump’s team have been filled with big names, wealthy tech leaders, and billionaires.  Given that the industry employs people from all over the world, the valley and its executives were a stronghold of opposition to the Republican Party throughout Trump's first term, particularly on immigration.