“As I discussed earlier than, Felicia and I’ve identified Vice President Harris for over 10 years and she or he has been an amazing buddy to each of us throughout that point,” Horowitz wrote in an e-mail to his enterprise capital agency obtained by Axios. “On account of our friendship, Felicia and I shall be making a big donation to entities who assist the Harris Walz marketing campaign.”
“Like, how do you stroll that again?”
I… hear. Two issues. First, one of the placing issues concerning the podcast Horowitz made together with his a16z co-founder Marc Andreessen was how centered each males had been on who’d take their conferences. Their political commitments, in lots of respects, boiled all the way down to who would spend face time with them. Close to the tip of the podcast, Horowitz instructed what was (I feel?) alleged to be a heartwarming story about hanging out with Trump’s grandkids — and the way his response to listening to concerning the assassination try on Trump was, “Oh my god, Grandpa simply acquired shot.”
So, you already know, the entire thing the place Harris has been “an amazing buddy” to each Horowitz and his spouse checks out as a political place for him. In some respects, I get it. I, too, wish to see my pals succeed!
However second, that essential Trump endorsement was made earlier than Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race in favor of Harris, and earlier than the enormous outpouring of support for the brand new Democratic candidate. That meant a16z had already sacrificed any leverage it might need with a Harris administration — and a candidate who made Trump seem like much less of a positive winner. Within the case of a Harris win, these boys had been taking a look at a complete 4 years with out necessary conferences, and we already know they view that as a dreadful tragedy for the whole nation.
So as to regain any risk of leverage in a doubtlessly Democrat-led authorities, somebody was going to need to eat humble pie, and it positive as shit wasn’t going to be Andreessen. Horowitz, whose support for Trump was termed a “Maga U-turn” by The San Francisco Normal, has a historical past of donating to progressive causes; Harris, then a senator, was even a visitor at a Horowitz yard barbecue in 2018.
“I’m simply questioning what they’re gonna do when Kamala wins,” one founder instructed The San Francisco Normal of the a16z Trump endorsement. “Like, how do you stroll that again?”
Effectively, I assume we all know now. Horowitz’s e-mail says that he’s had a number of conversations with Harris and her group — essential to notice right here that he acquired to the candidate herself, provided that entry is outwardly one in every of Horowitz’s principal political issues. And so whereas Horowitz nonetheless thinks President Joe Biden is no-good and really unhealthy, he’s “inspired by my perception” in Harris to do good for tech, although she has not but staked out any coverage positions.
Harris has sort of made overtures on what Horowitz termed “most likely essentially the most emotional matter” within the election: crypto. One among her marketing campaign aides has mentioned, “She’s going to assist insurance policies that be sure that rising applied sciences and that type of trade can proceed to develop,” in response to a question about crypto.
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