Billionaire Ben Horowitz pledges ‘significant’ donation to Kamala Harris in major reversal
Billionaire tech investor Ben Horowitz is planning to make a “significant” donation to the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris – a major reversal just months after he and business partner Marc Andreessen endorsed former President Donald Trump.
Horowitz revealed his about-face in a letter to Andreessen Horowitz staffers, 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 a friend to the firm in our early days.”
“As a result of our friendship, Felicia and I will be making a significant donation to entities who support the Harris Walz campaign,” Horowitz wrote in the letter, which was first obtained by Axios.
Horowitz and Andreessen led a surprise Silicon Valley shift toward the Republican Party when they pledged to support Trump after President Joe Biden’s debate debacle in June.
Andreessen retweeted Horowitz’s posts about the letter on X, though he did not reveal if his own position toward Harris has changed — a possible sign that the pair may be trying to hedge their bets on who will win the White House as polls show Harris and Trump neck-and-neck after Biden’s exit from the race.
Horowitz admitted that his change of heart comes despite Harris’ lack of any concrete plans for the tech industry.
“Although I have had several conversations with Vice President Harris and her team on their likely tech policies and am encouraged by my belief in her, they have not yet stated what their tech policy will be, so the firm will not be updating its position in that regard,” he wrote in his letter.
Some tech bigwigs have placed bets that Trump is more likely to support a friendly regulatory agenda for startups 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 exceptionally destructive on tech policy across the industry, but especially as it relates to Crypto/Blockchain and AI,” Horowitz wrote. “So, while I am very hopeful that the Harris Administration will be much better, they have not yet stated their intentions.”
Harris has been vague about how she’d handle matters of tech regulation – such as the antitrust crackdown that has played out 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” just one time.
Horowitz and his wife faced a backlash over the summer for supporting Trump.
In August, the San Francisco Standard posted a sweeping profile of the couple and how their decision to back the Republican given their longtime support of Democratic candidates and causes, including Harris.
After the article was published, Horowitz publicly lashed out at fellow tech investor and ex-Sequoia Capital chairman Michael Moritz, who funds the Standard. Horowitz accused Moritz of using the news outlet to attack his family – a claim that the Standard denied.
“Sir Michael Moritz is now having his fake disinformation ‘newspaper’ fabricate hit pieces on his business rival, me,” Horowitz wrote on X at the time.
Fellow mogul Elon Musk — the world’s richest person — declared himself to be “dark MAGA” while appearing 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.
