The ‘Steaks and Beers’ of Silicon Valley Politics – The 2024 U.S. Elections
Vansh: Bro, we need to do the cover story. Janam: Topic? Vansh: The election and Silicon Valley’s role in it. Janam: WHAT… AGAIN!? You’ve got to be kidding me. You remember what happened the last two times we went political right? Vansh: Yes, but… . Janam: And what’s there to say? Nothing! What’s done is done. Vansh: Look, this is important… Do it, or you’re fired! Janam: Wow, alright J.D. Vansh. Here goes ‘Nothing.’
The American people have chosen, and we welcome Donald Trump as the 47th president of the world’s economic superpower. The memes, praises, gloom, and tweets started rushing in on election night, and we knew that these next four years are going to be the most unique time ahead of us. Amidst growing threats of foreign powers, rising costs of living, and individual rights dilemmas, we will allegedly be represented by a strong leader who is for the American people. Again, allegedly.
In all fairness, we weren’t surprised with the American people choosing Trump. We were hopeful to see a Black Indian Woman in the Oval Office, but the reality of this nation is very different.
Many Americans have faced rising costs for basic goods and services. When the country’s people were in peril, America sent funds out of the country and brought in more refugees. That is the alleged unfortunate legacy of the Democratic administration in the last four years.
Conveniently, no one noted the increase in public-sector jobs, more health programs, increased rights, student loan forgiveness, and the reopening of the U.S. economy with proper vaccine distribution. At the end of the day, people voted with their wallets in mind. All they heard were lower taxes and debt reduction.
Living in the Silicon Valley, we are in a strong echo chamber of liberals. We were under the impression that the West Coast would go to Kamala Harris. However, we conveniently waved off the flood of memos from SV billionaires which signaled the shift toward Trumpism in California.
The wave began with the world’s richest man – Elon Musk. Someone who always strayed from politics and was ridiculed by Donald Trump, Musk hopped like Mario in the presence of Trump in this election. Word on the street is that Mr. Elon Musk, or should we say Elonia (sans Jimmy Kimmel), has been pocketing our president-elect’s screen time. How romantic!
Whether at Mar-a-Lago for Thanksgiving or playing golf, reports suggest that Musk also holds prominence over Trump’s Cabinet picks and potential policies.
How can we forget mentioning DOGE! Elon Musk’s new trademark? Not really. Anyways, DOGE had the fastest transformation under Elon Musk’s leadership. From a meme to a cryptocurrency wave to now an actual initiative aimed at reducing government expenses… Even Meta couldn’t shift to 9th gear that fast. Oops, that’s a gas car thing!
Musk isn’t the only one, however. One little Google search and signs were ubiquitous. WhatsApp co-founder, Jan Koum, donated $5 million to a pro-Trump PAC. Renowned VCs Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz have been vocal in their support. Peter Thiel has been a long-time supporter, as well. We’re “Silicon Valleying” it up in Washington, allegedly.
On the night of the elections, the smoky screen started fading and the whole landscape became clearer. Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Satya Nadella, Sam Altman… the list is endless. All of them sent their best regards, resounding optimism in their message for Trump. I wonder why these CEOs were eerily silent throughout the campaigns, especially while Biden was still in the race.
The shift became apparent once Kamala Harris came into the picture. The so-called “tech bros,” “finance bros,” “business bros,” and self-proclaimed entrepreneurs, also essentially the quintessential “bro,” all favored President Trump. These “bros” are the same people watching self-improvement videos, consider Elon Musk “God,” listen to Joe Rogan’s podcast, and achieved decent success without much effort. They are in well-paying jobs or growing businesses.
Whether it was a conversation with my peers or senior employees in various Silicon Valley cults, everyone sang the same rhetoric. Trump is good for the economy. Trump is good for business. Translation: Trump is good for my wallet, conveniently forgetting the expenses for others. Notice that it was mostly the “bros” who supported Donald Trump. Women and children shared a very different sentiment towards the U.S. Elections, especially in the South Asian diaspora.
Each South Asian household had a civil war of its own. The dads are influenced by a larger paycheck and their workplace environment had them rooting for The Donald. Moms and kids were predominantly singing “O Kamala” (to the tune of “O Canada”). Alright, I’ll stop with the bad jokes.
Here is something that is not a joke. Why is that every parent thinks they know better than their kids? Maybe that’s just the 18-year-old in me talking, but seriously why don’t our parents hear us out, at least once in a while? To the dads of Silicon Valley, if you are reading this, I give you one task. Tonight, sit with your kids around the dinner table and ask them about what they really think about the outcome of this election. Please hear them out.
Notice how we were all over the place? Well, that’s the current dynamic among the South Asian community. Half the people are jumping off sofas in excitement while others are searching for jobs in Vancouver, BC. We have no idea what’s to come from this presidency; we can only speculate. At the end of the day, the voters spoke, the voters chose, and the voters better accept. For all we know, maybe this is exactly what we needed. All we can say is: America, buckle up. We are in for one hell of a ride.
PS: Is it just us or did anyone else also forget that J.D. Vance was in the picture? What was his title again?
Oh well.
Co-Author
Vansh Gupta is pursuing his MBA at SJSU. He is Managing Editor and CMO at Siliconeer.
Image created using Grok AI.