Vice President Kamala HarrisTech allies launched a behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign to persuade wealthy donors to support her presidential campaign, people familiar with the matter said.
long term investor Reid Hoffman and Ron Conway One of Harris’ allies in Silicon Valley privately called on people in her network to support the vice president over the former president Donald Trump”, these people explained.
The conversation has been going on since Sunday, when President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris, according to people who described the discussions to CNBC.
Conway even tried to recruit venture capitalists Marc Anderson and Ben HorowitzThat’s according to three people familiar with the outreach who, like others in this article, were granted anonymity to discuss private conversations.
The move is noteworthy because the two founders of venture capital firm Andreesen Horowitz have expressed their support for Trump and plan to donate to pro-Trump political action committees.
Hofmann is convinced Netflix Chairman Reed Hastings will reportedly donate $7 million to pro-Harris PAC in support of Harris information.
Hastings, a longtime Democratic donor, expressed his support for Harris shortly after Biden dropped out of the race, saying “Democratic representatives need to elect a winner in a swing state.”
But two days later, Hastings endorsed the former California senator, writing on social media, “Congratulations to Kamala Harris – it’s time to win.”
A source familiar with the lobbying efforts of Conway, Huffman and others estimated that their efforts alone are expected to raise more than $100 million from major tech industry donors.
The money went directly to multiple groups: Harris’ campaign, political action committees she supports and 501(c)(4) dark money groups that do not publicly reveal their donors.
Representatives for Hastings, Conway and Hoffman did not respond to emails from CNBC seeking comment. A spokesman for Andreessen Horowitz declined to comment. The company’s co-founders did not respond to emails seeking comment.
Conway and Huffman both endorsed Harris. In a social media post praising Harris, Conway specifically said, “The tech community must come together to defeat Donald Trump.”
Harris’ allies in the tech community have promised skeptics that if Harris is elected president, she will be willing to meet with business leaders and listen to their concerns, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Another part of the pitch is their argument that tech investors who backed Trump made the wrong choice because they believed Biden was the sure-fire nominee. Now, with Harris ahead in the Democratic vote, they have a chance to change their minds and return to her, these people said.
“The train was about to leave the station and it was clear you were on the wrong train. She was open to hearing new ideas,” one person said of the calls.
So far, the results from tech activity have been mixed.
“I don’t think it’s going to work. They know her record in tech,” said an adviser to a cryptocurrency executive. He pointed to Harris’ record since she was elected California attorney general in 2011.
Harris took different positions on tech regulation during her time as attorney general and in the Senate.
exist 2019 According to “Fortune” magazine, as a California senator, she said “we must seriously consider (the Facebook spin-off).”
Last year, she hosted Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai at the summit (Sundar Pichai) and four other technology CEOs. white house “Sharing concerns about risks associated with artificial intelligence.”
But in March, Harris told ABC News the administration was not “intending to ban Tik Tok” A month later, Biden sign A bill could ban TikTok from the United States unless its parent company, China’s ByteDance, agrees to sell social media assets in early 2025.
Another obstacle facing Harris’ allies is Silicon Valley’s perception that the Biden administration is overregulating its industry.
Cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence are two of the tech industry’s fastest-growing areas and have drawn intense complaints in recent years as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Federal Trade Commission target major players.
The belief that technology is being treated unfairly by the Biden administration has contributed to the decision of some high-profile executives to support Trump.
For example, billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has become an outspoken supporter of Trump. However, it’s unclear whether his vocal support will translate into a flood of campaign cash to help elect Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance.
Cryptocurrency investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss have each donated at least $1 million in Bitcoin to the Trump 47 committee, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Some of the funds were reportedly returned because each check exceeded the legal limit of $844,600.
