Ben Horowitz says he and his wife plan to make a “significant” personal donation to Kamala Harris' campaign; Horowitz and Marc Andreessen endorsed Trump in July
tech oligarchs depend heavily on their access in washington, so will do everything they can to keep it. a16z desperately wants washington to legitimize crypto, so they can get a return on their significant investment in crypto. … Scott Galloway / @profgalloway : Breaking: VC covers ass. — https://www.axios.com/... @hunterwalk : the seed investment didn't work out, so the growth fund invested in a competitor hey, big tent party. welcome back. https://www.axios.com/... Fred Benenson / @fredbenenson : This comports with my theory that certain VCs care just as much about *beeing seen* as having picked the winner than any actual policy or political agenda Mastodon: Jonathan Glick / @Jonathanglick@mstdn.social : It's my little world, but I think it's quite important: https://www.axios.com/... Bluesky: Mike Masnick / @mmasnick.bsky.social : What a putz. He very, very, very vociferously backed Trump the week before Biden dropped out. [embedded post] Jason Wilson / @jasonaw.bsky.social : I was looking at FEC data today for a story on someone else and then went down the A-H campaign contributions rabbit hole a little and I would make three observations. 1. The bulk of BH's money has gone to the Fairshake PAC. 2. Otherwise it has mostly gone to Republicans but not by as much as (1/x) [embedded post] X: @bhorowitz : I sent an internal email that Axios got a hold of it. Here it is. This is what it is, there is nothing else no matter how it gets characterized: Political Update a16zers, I wanted to give you an update on my political activity. As I mentioned before, Felicia and I have known Reid Christian / @reidrmc : There are fair-weather fans and then there are these guys https://www.axios.com/... Roger McNamee / @moonalice : It would be out of character for a Silicon Valley leader to endorse a candidate because she will save the country from fascism. The only basis for a political endorsement in the Valley is self-interest. My message to Harris: just say no to crypto! https://www.axios.com/... Real Kelly E / @realkellye : Just a completely avoidable error by Horowitz. When he endorsed Trump it's not like it wasn't very plausible and probable that he would spend the last 45 days of the campaign whipping up a racist panic against Black & Brown immigrants. https://www.axios.com/... James McLeod / @jamespmcleod : Extremely funny stuff. https://www.axios.com/... Jeff Bercovici / @jeffbercovici : Man supports current thing https://sfstandard.com/... Gil Duran / @gilduran76 : Completely soulless. They just want to be on the side that's winning so they can further their greedy and power-hungry agenda. The good news: They clearly think Kamala will win. Axios: VC titan Ben Horowitz dumps Trump, donates to Kamala Harris https://www.axios.com/... Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life : VCs endorsing Trump when he looked like a sure thing then pivoting to supporting Kamala when she started polling well is a testament to their herd mentality. [image] @villi : While I don't think this election is about policy, I am happy to see Ben change his mind on the candidates. Glad to see sensibility and reason prevail. Good for Ben. Eric Newcomer / @ericnewcomer : They absolutely top ticked their Trump endorsement Jacob Silverman / @silvermanjacob : Big crypto VCs turned securities fraud and dumping worthless tokens on retail into an incredibly valuable business model for a couple years. I don't think they'll be charged with crimes by a Harris DoJ but Trump (after he defenestrates Gensler) will be a pushover for them. Biz Carson / @bizcarson : A month before the election, Ben Horowitz says he's now going to make a significant donation to Kamala Harris. The news is a blow to Trump, whose campaign has far less cash on hand than Harris'. https://www.bloomberg.com/... Jacob Silverman / @silvermanjacob : This administration has been very destructive toward the snake oil industry. [image] Adam Cochran / @adamscochran : The best VCs in the world believe in the mana “strong opinions; loosely held” Have conviction but change when new data is presented. A16Z's Horowitz showing that here and switching to support Harris. But it's also what Harris has done by pursing a more centrist and Marc Andreessen / @pmarca : Update on A16Z and politics. 🇺🇸 Teddy Schleifer / @teddyschleifer : I'll just say there's been chatter about a Horowitz-to-Harris flip for a few weeks. And I'll just say that this is why so many Silicon Valley Dems were excited about Harris getting the nomination. She just has these personal relationships. Dan Primack / @danprimack : This is a personal donation — not from the firm, whose argument that Trump is better for “Little Tech” remains in place. Horowitz, in his letter to employees, says he's hopeful Harris will be good for Little Tech too, but that she hasn't yet put out such policies. Shai Goldman / @shaig : That is a crazy 180 in a few months Hari Kunzru / @harikunzru : Andreessen Horowitz office parties going to be awkward Ryan Mac / @rmac18 : Mike Moritz out there somewhere, chuckling Matthew Zeitlin / @mattzeitlin : in any case, the fact that kamala harris has spent much of her professional life making friends with various rich californians does have some advantages when it comes to running for president [image] Matthew Zeitlin / @mattzeitlin : trump's probability of winning (sillver bulletin) when andreessen and horowitz endorsed trump: 69.3% trump's probability of winning today: 43.6% Alex Konrad / @alexrkonrad : “strong convictions, loosely held” is one of a16z's favorite mantras as a firm 👀 Forums: r/politics : VC Ben Horowitz, who previously favored Trump over Biden, is now switching and plans “significant” donation to Kamala Harris r/siliconvalley : Scoop: VC titan Ben Horowitz plans “significant” donation to Kamala Harris r/KamalaHarris : Scoop: VC titan Ben Horowitz plans “significant” donation to Kamala Harris
Context & Ripple Effects
Horowitz and Marc Andreessen had previously aligned behind Trump as advocates for “Little Tech,” including plans for major PAC support. That July alignment behind Trump made Horowitz’s later personal move notable as an individual break rather than a stated change in a16z’s position.
The shift arrives as Harris was engaging crypto investors and pro-crypto Democrats, while her Bay Area ties had already helped draw tech-donor support. The episode underscores that political coalitions in venture capital can be issue-specific and personal rather than firm-wide.
First-order effects
- Horowitz and his wife become direct financial supporters of Harris, despite his earlier Trump endorsement; Andreessen’s previously reported Trump stance is unchanged in the supplied record.
- Because the contribution is personal rather than from a16z, it separates Horowitz’s electoral giving from the venture firm’s formal identity and portfolio activity.
Second-order effects
- Political campaigns and industry advocates gain another signal that prominent venture investors may preserve relationships across partisan lines, rather than treating prior endorsements as exclusive alliances.
- Crypto-focused political outreach may become more consequential for investor coalitions: Harris’s courtship of the sector now coincides with a high-profile investor donating personally, though the record does not establish causation.
Third-order effects
- If this pattern broadens, venture firms’ principals may increasingly use personal political spending to manage regulatory exposure while keeping firm brands less explicitly partisan.
- The larger structural pressure is toward more deliberate strategic-capital governance, as investors distinguish personal political influence from institutional commitments.
The trend: Tech investors are building more flexible, issue-driven political relationships as regulation-sensitive sectors seek influence across party coalitions.