Silicon Valley in the Tension Field of Politics: Ben Horowitz Bets on Kamala Harris

In a surprising twist in the political landscape of the technology hub, Ben Horowitz, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, has publicly announced a significant donation to the election campaign of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. This comes just weeks after he, along with Marc Andreessen, broke the longstanding tradition of Democratic support by endorsing the Republican rival Donald Trump. Horowitz informed the employees of his venture capital firm last Friday of his and his wife Felicia's intention to support the Democratic candidate. The Horowitzes have maintained a personal friendship with the Vice President for a decade, which influenced this decision. In a statement obtained by the Financial Times, he wrote about a considerable donation to organizations supporting the Harris-Walz campaign. In the increasingly divided technology community, the announcement of support for Trump caused some upheaval. In mid-July, Andreessen Horowitz, along with Elon Musk and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, declared their support for Trump. At that time, the Biden administration was criticized by the tech elite for its perceived destructive technology policies. However, the political situation recently changed when President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the race, solidifying support for Harris within the Democratic camp. Horowitz now finds himself in a dilemma between his loyalty to firm differentiation and his personal friendship with Harris. Despite his donation, the firm's strategy regarding support for Trump in technology-relevant areas such as cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence remains unchanged. The firm's political strategists continue to work toward gaining favor from both political sides for their own interests. The company does not want to put all its "eggs in a Trump basket." Internal communications, first reported by Axios, reveal that despite Horowitz’s positive assessment of Harris, no clear technology policies have been communicated by the Harris-Walz campaign. Therefore, Andreessen Horowitz will not change its strategic position for the time being. Despite sharp criticism of the Biden administration in technology matters, the company remains pragmatic.