Billionaire tech investor Ben Horowitz is planning to make a “significant” donation to Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ campaign — a major shift just months after he and business partner Marc Andreessen endorsed former President Donald Trump.
Horowitz revealed his face in a letter to Andreessen Horowitz staff, writing that he and his wife, Felicia, had “known Vice President Harris for over 10 years” and that the former California attorney general “has been friend of the firm in our early days.”
“As a result of our friendship, Felicia and I will be making a significant donation to entities supporting Harris Walz’s campaign,” Horowitz wrote in the letter, which was first obtained by Axios.
Horowitz and Andreessen led a sudden Silicon Valley shift toward the Republican Party when they pledged to support Trump after President Joe Biden’s debate in June.
Andreessen echoed Horowitz’s tweets about the letter to X, though he did not say whether his position on Harris has changed — a possible sign the pair may be trying to hedge their bets on who will win the White House as polls show Harris and Trump. head and neck after Biden’s exit from the race.
Horowitz acknowledged that his change of heart comes despite Harris’ lack of concrete plans for the tech industry.
“Although I’ve had several conversations with Vice President Harris and her team about their potential technology policies, and I’m encouraged by my confidence in her, they have not yet stated what their technology policy will be, so the firm does not will update its position in this regard”, he writes in his letter.
Some tech giants have bet that Trump is more likely to support a startup-friendly regulatory agenda in the growing artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency sectors.
The trend sparked a heated debate in the tech industry, which has traditionally leaned toward Democrats.
“The Biden administration has been extremely disruptive to technology policy across the industry, but especially as it relates to Crypto/Blockchain and AI,” Horowitz wrote. “So while I’m very hopeful that the Harris administration will be much better, they still haven’t stated their intentions.”
Harris has been vague about how she would handle tech regulation issues — such as the antitrust crackdown that has taken place under the Biden-Harris administration — if she defeats Trump in November.
In a recent 82-page economic policy outline, the Harris campaign said it would “encourage innovative technologies like AI and digital assets while protecting our consumers and investors.” The document mentioned the word “antitrust” only once.
Horowitz and his wife faced backlash over the summer for endorsing Trump.
In August, the San Francisco Standard posted a comprehensive profile of the couple and how their decision to back the Republican came in light of their longtime support of Democratic candidates and causes, including Harris.
After the article was published, Horowitz publicly attacked tech investor and former head of Sequoia Capital Michael Moritz, which funds the Standard. Horowitz accused Moritz of using the media to attack his family — a claim the Standard denied.
“Sir Michael Moritz is now having his fake disinformation ‘newspaper’ fabricate hit articles on his business rival, me,” Horowitz wrote in X at the time.
Fellow mogul Elon Musk — the world’s richest person — declared himself a “dark MAGA” as he appeared on stage with Trump during a rally in Butler, PA, on Saturday.
But Harris enjoys broad support from some of Silicon Valley’s wealthiest donors, including Melinda French Gates, Reid Hoffman, Reed Hastings and Laurene Powell Jobs.
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