How Democrats Drove Silicon Valley Into Trump’s Arms

Opinion|How Democrats Drove Silicon Valley Into Trump’s Arms

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Ross Douthat: I’m someone who follows politics primarily and Silicon Valley secondarily. And the alliance between the tech industry and the Democratic Party has always seemed like a solid fact of American politics. I could see the leaders of the tech industry souring on certain aspects of progressive politics, especially the parts that cast them as special villains. But I didn’t expect so many figures in Silicon Valley, starting with Elon Musk, to throw their support, money and social media clout behind Donald Trump in 2024.

My guest is one of those tech leaders, the venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. For decades he was, in his words, a “good” Democrat. But now he’s been spending time at Mar-a-Lago and advising on Trump’s transition.

Marc Andreessen, welcome to “Matter of Opinion.”

Marc Andreessen: Thank you, Ross. It’s great to be here.

Douthat: It’s great to have you. You’re a co-founder of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, whose portfolio includes Airbnb and over 100 A.I. companies.

A long time ago, you co-founded Netscape, the web browser that first brought many of us to the internet in the 1990s. And — just as a political matter — you supported Barack Obama for president, you voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and then in 2024 you supported Donald Trump.