Silicon Valley Trump Supporters 'Deluding Themselves,' Says Michael Moritz | Amanpour and Company

Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance are campaigning in swing states this week. They are also eyeing Silicon Valley, where some of the wealthiest and most powerful tech titans are lining up behind Trump. Once a stronghold of liberal ideas, this center of American innovation is drifting to the right. Michael Moritz, a senior adviser at Sequoia Heritage, joins the show to explain why he is urging his peers to rethink their support.

Originally aired on August 20, 2024

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Amanpour and Company features wide-ranging, in-depth conversations with global thought leaders and cultural influencers on the issues and trends impacting the world each day, from politics, business and technology to arts, science and sports. Christiane Amanpour leads the conversation on global and domestic news from London with contributions by prominent journalists Walter Isaacson, Michel Martin, Alicia Menendez and Hari Sreenivasan from the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center in New York City.

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[piscesaj]

Why don't they just say, we're rich and we want to be able to do whatever we want to get richer without having to worry about what's in the good for society. I enjoyed the interview but he said a lot of words but didn't basically say the root cause of why some of the wealthy turn to trump and the right. He could have just said greed.

[rosemoss]

“You’ve counted six people…” Six Billionaires can do a lot of damage. One can do a lot of damage, as we all know.

[chemistIT]

It’s pretty simple. These are very rich people, and they know that the Republican Party has always been very good to very rich people.

[egx]

The tech bros like Musk want unfettered power.

[lmenascojr]

They’re technically smart. They’re not socially or politically smart.

[FemFlorida]

Women will be sending a very strong message

[marinaoppenheimer]

It’s really repulsive that these billionaires only think about themselves.

[jakemf]

This is simple to understand-GREED! Money over everything

[clocksurfer]

If anybody wants to suppress entrepreneurial activities, it is successful big corporations.

[oldanslo]

Billionaires aren't being heard by politicians? Anyone who says this is out of touch with reality.

[nextinstitute]

"Governments are skeptical regarding large companies they can't control"... Not really sir... The people are skeptical regarding large corporations controlling our governments. You haven't really been listening to the people, it seems...

[ma]

The billionaires have their own cult: a sort of Hare Krishna of superwealth. Many of the bros are rallying around Trump and Vance in a sort of Peck's Bad Boy spirit of petulance--they hate the idea of abiding by the rules of civilized society, of being constrained by taxation, regulation, and the equal application of the rule of law. They'd like to see the common man crushed under an authoritarian boot while they themselves enjoy---what, some mad fantasy of total freedom, although only for themselves. Others have a dream of making a killing in crypto and becoming the first trillionaire. They're all quite mad, and quite spoilt.

[shirleyashanti]

I love the technological advances we've been given, but I'm not easily convinced they've made us better. Unmitigated greed, hackers and spammers, trafficking of youth, and the thirst for pornography come to mind. I believe we have essentially forsaken the necessity of compassion. We treat it as an option to our detriment.

[iconifyme]

I agree with much of what Moritz says, but his views on antitrust are just dead wrong. Corporations consolidating too much power over an individual or even multiple areas of the economy, industry, and technology is BAD for consumers, bad for society, and ultimately bad for the country. Monopolies are bad. There is not really any way to spin it that they are not. They are good for shareholders but not for the average worker or consumer. Let's not forget that lack of competition in the market does not just affect consumers, it affects workers as well. His statement that "politicians don't like challenges to their power" is projection.

[yanstev]

There are two roads that a person can take once they have enormous wealth. One tends towards megalomania and greed; the other towards humility and looking to make a positive impact on society.

[fruitingfungi]

If California's policies have been so bad for 20+ years, how did all these tech companies become so incredibly wealthy and powerful?

[carolperkins]

They would be stupid to back Trump. He will take them to the cleaners. They will wish they didn't.

[videopyc]

Peter Thiel and alikes want a strong men to take care of them and somehow do what they cannot do for themselves: use Federal regulatory powers and money to favor their unrestricted business expansion (which is the definition of fachism). It can be said that politicians does not like monopolies and cartels because it impedes the necessary fairness and growth done by the smaller players who brings innovation and the creation of new businesses.

[andrewcolliver]

Divine right of kings? At least some monarchs occasionally ruled for the betterment of their people. Hard to say the same for any billionaire.
What he’s after is the divine right of monopolists.

[edalvarez]

So tired of this narrative of people being "left behind". How about stop voting against your financial interests because of your cultural philosophies. You want to live in the past, you cant move ahead with the rest of us.