Bill Gates said it was a “surrise” that a “significant right group of technology leaders in Silicon Valley has emerged in the light of the long support of the Democratic Party industry.
Gates, the multi-millionaire who co-founded Microsoft, told the New York Times on Thursday that he “always thought of Silicon Valley as left of the center.”
“The fact that now there is a significant set of right right is a surprise to me,” Gates Times told.
In recent years, some prominent technology leaders have passed their political support from Democratic candidates in the Republican, including President Donald Trump.
Elon Musk, the richest person in the world from his position as CEO of Tesla and Spacex, illustrates this change.
Historically, Musk was identified as a moderate and supported Democratic candidate, including voting for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020.
He announced his intention to vote the Republican and then became a supporter of Trump’s voice, adopting it during the 2024 presidential campaign and becoming one of his greatest individual donors.
Musk’s political transformation matches his advocacy on deregistration and free speech, especially after his Twitter acquisition in 2022.
Musk, who has appeared as Trump’s main adviser to the White House, has since reached twitter as X.
David Sacks, co -founder of Paypal and Venture Capitalist, also passed his loyalty from Democratic candidates to Republicans.
In 2016, Sacks donated nearly $ 70,000 to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
By 2024, he had become a prominent Donald Trump supporter, waiting for a fund that raised approximately $ 12m for the Trump’s campaign.
The change of sacks reflects a broader tendency among technology leaders who have grown critical of progressive policies and now advocate for conservative approaches to governance and economic management.
Peter Thiel, a co -founder of Paypal and Parantir Technologies, has long been a farthest in Silicon Valley second for his conservative views.
Initially supporting the causes and libertarian candidates, Thiel adopted Ron Paul in 2008.
He later became an important supporter of Trump, speaking at the 2016 National Republican Convention and donating $ 1.25 million in Trump’s campaign.
Thiel’s support continued in the 2024 election cycle, where he remained a lead ally and donor.
Patrick Collison, CEO of Stripe, was also a reliable donor to Democrats before contributing $ 200,000 to Republican Pac before last year’s elections.
Ben Horowitz, co -founder of the Entrepreneurship Capital Firm Andreessen Horowitz, also moved his political stance.
Despite a liberal education and initial support for Democratic candidates, Horowitz approved Trump in the 2024 elections.
His decision was influenced by dissatisfaction with the Biden administration technology police, especially in relation to cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence.
Marc Andreessen, another co -founder of Andereessen Horowitz, also supported Trump.
Gates, a 69-year-old philanthropy, who did not address the embarrassing pedophile Jeffrey Epstein during the interview with The Times, has been talking to some media before publishing his new title “Source Code: My Beginings.”
Remembrance, the first book in a volume of three that Gates is working, was published by Knopf. It is second to go on sale on Tuesday.
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