Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz say Trump is the right choice for “Little Tech”; sources say they plan to make large donations to PACs supporting his campaign

The Information 2024-07-18

Context & Ripple Effects

Andreessen and Horowitz’s planned PAC giving extends a16z’s earlier political organizing, including the firm’s Keep Startups in America PAC effort and support for pro-crypto advocacy. It moves that engagement from issue-specific coalition building toward an explicit presidential choice.

Their public case centers on crypto and startup regulation, as outlined in their podcast rationale for backing Trump. That makes the endorsement a direct attempt to connect the interests of venture-backed companies with a candidate’s policy agenda.

First-order effects

Trump-aligned PACs stand to receive large donations from Andreessen and Horowitz, while the two investors publicly attach their “Little Tech” framing to Trump’s campaign.
a16z portfolio founders, employees, and counterparties gain a clearer signal of the political priorities its marquee partners intend to advance, especially around crypto and regulation.

Second-order effects

Other venture investors and startup advocacy groups face pressure to clarify whether they will fund candidates or pursue policy influence through less partisan channels.
PAC funding and prominent endorsements can elevate startup-regulation and crypto policy in campaign outreach to technology donors, shifting competition for political support toward a small set of influential capital allocators.

Third-order effects

If leading investors increasingly pair capital with overt electoral spending, policy influence in startup sectors may become more concentrated among firms with the largest portfolios and donor capacity.
The episode points to a durable alignment battle between innovation-policy agendas and presidential politics, though its staying power depends on whether founders and other investors accept partisan representation of “Little Tech.”

The trend: Venture capital is evolving from issue advocacy into more direct electoral participation as investors seek to shape the regulatory conditions of their portfolios.

Discussion

Vox Nicole Narea on x
Why tech titans are turning toward Trump
@elizspiers Elizabeth Spiers on threads
Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz to every woman, LGBTQ+ person and immigrant who works in tech: you're disposable if doing this makes us even more money
@anildash Anil Dash on threads
Ben Horowitz has a Black trans child, if you want to know the level of venality involved in these kinds of decisions. https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
@esqueer_ Alejandra Caraballo on threads
People underestimate just how radicalizing having a trans kid is for these kind of men. Elon, Horowitz etc. just go off the deep end and blame everyone and society because they think their kid is brainwashed. It's a specific type of brainworms.
@yannlecun Yann LeCun on threads
Where did you get that “a16z rails against Facebook”? Marc Andreessen is on the board of Meta and is a huge supporter of Meta's open source stance.
@davidsacks David Sacks on x
Ben Horowitz Bill Ackman Cameron Winklevoss Doug Leone Elon Musk Eoghan McCabe Ken Howery Kyle Samani Marc Andreessen Jacob Helberg Joe Lonsdale Palmer Luckey Peter Thiel Shaun Maguire Trevor Traina Tushar Jain Tyler Winklevoss Come on in, the water's warm. [image]
@pmarca Marc Andreessen on x
New podcast, @bhorowitz and me, 90 minutes on the Little Tech Agenda, the future of tech in America, politics, Biden and Trump. 🇺🇸 [video]
@kellblog Dave Kellogg on x
I'm old enough to remember when VCs stayed out of politics because they wanted to have the entire deal pool open to them. The focus was on building things people want to buy and helping entrepreneurs build companies. Period. What's the old Ries & Trout-ism? Success leads to
@pmarca Marc Andreessen on x
New podcast, @bhorowitz and me, 90 minutes on the Little Tech Agenda, the future of tech in America, politics, Biden and Trump. 🇺🇸 00:49 Intro to Little Tech Agenda and presidential election impact 03:33 Involvement in presidential politics 11:24 Importance of Little Tech 24:01 […
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
Always suggest press not just link to tech's PR. eg this is a Meta board member using “little tech” to justify endorsing Trump. He also had his deposition ordered after inspection of Facebook's board docs in active insider trading suit. Biden's CofS ran FB audit cmte at time. 1/3
@danprimack Dan Primack on x
We reported earlier that @pmarca and @bhorowitz would explain their Trump support this afternoon. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/...
@kateclarktweets Kate Clark on x
Scoop: Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, who run the influential venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, have told staff they plan to make large donations to political action committees supporting the election of Donald Trump. w/ @coryweinberg https://www.theinformation.com/ ..…
@obrien Chris O'Brien on x
@danprimack ... They need climate rules smashed so AI can run free and no oversight of M&A so they can get some liquidity. If women, minorities, and democracy get thrown under the bus...oh well!
@danprimack Dan Primack on x
Confirmed earlier report by @theinformation that @pmarca and @bhorowitz will donate to Trump. Some more notes, per sources: 1/ They'll lay out their reasoning later today via a podcast. 2/ This is exclusively about the “pro tech” agenda they discussed late last year — with no
@anildash @anildash on x
Ben Horowitz agrees with, and funds, the Project 2025 plan to target his Black trans child. That's all you need to know about the level of depravity in the fascist agenda. Is it “pro tech” to give money to those who want your child dead?
@grapesmoker @grapesmoker on x
siri, please show me the least surprising development of the last decade
@basedtorba Andrew Torba on x
This is what the Vance pick was about btw. It wasn't about swing state votes or appealing to X, Y, Z. The Trump campaign needs cash, a lot of it, and Vance's VC connections are going to bring it. Notice the timing of Elon putting his money where his mouth was on Trump. Not a c…
@jimstewartson @jimstewartson on x
We are, and I mean this literally, in a war against oligarchs who want to dismantle the United States so they can divide up our labor and resources. Democracy is inconvenient for them.
@kateclarktweets Kate Clark on x
Andreessen on X earlier this month said that the firm would support political candidates who promote policies in favor of startups. Horowitz wrote on a blog post in December: “We are non-partisan, one issue voters: If a candidate supports an optimistic technology-enabled future,…
@brianbrackeen Brian Brackeen on x
I know countless Black folks who's partied at Ben's house. They love his love for Rap, his diverse family, etc. In the end he supports a man who's directly opposed to you & your family's interests. Did he ever love you? Be honest. Inside, you knew he didn't.
@danprimack Dan Primack on x
Marc Andreessen told me during the 2016 election that he was havng a tough time choosing between “a candidate who doesn't believe in science and a candidate who doesn't believe in economics.” Seems like he's gone with the one he doesn't think believes in science.
@silvermanjacob Jacob Silverman on x
So much tech money behind Trump now. The ZIRP years made them very rich. Metoo, covid restrictions, wokism, online redpilling made them bitter reactionaries. Now they have a guy to channel their money and grievances.
@disabilitystor1 Aparna Nair on x
Increasingly thinking that Silicon Valley is a global force for great evil and nothing else. Nothing else.
@katewillett Kate Willett on x
Marc Andreeson is one of the main investors in the Solano CA YIMBY city btw
@luke_metro @luke_metro on x
For politicians, is there a lower-cost, higher-reward move than backing crypto?

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