Authored by Nathan Worcester via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
SAN FRANCISCO—Jacob Helberg didn’t begin out as an enormous fan of former President Donald Trump.
In his 2021 e-book, “The Wires of Battle,” Mr. Helberg detailed his issues in regards to the former president, throughout and after his first administration when he was engaged on disinformation and overseas interference at Google.
“After Biden’s victory, hundreds of thousands of Individuals—egged on by Trump—indulged in unwarranted conspiracy theories claiming that Trump had actually received,” wrote Mr. Helberg, at the moment the co-chair of the Brookings Establishment’s China Technique Initiative, when describing efforts in Silicon Valley to combat what he referred to as “home disinformation.”
He was a bundler for Pete Buttigieg’s presidential run throughout the 2020 cycle.
But in latest weeks, Mr. Helberg, now an adviser to Palantir CEO Alex Karp, has come ahead as a vocal supporter of former President Trump. In Could, the Washington Put up publicized his $1 million donation to the Trump marketing campaign.
“I’m removed from ruling out extra help for President Trump,” Mr. Helberg advised The Epoch Occasions.
In 2020, lots of President Joe Biden’s largest supporters got here from Large Tech. They included Fb cofounder Mark Zuckerberg, LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, and Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple cofounder Steve Jobs. Many tech millionaires and billionaires are supporting him once more in 2024. Vinod Khosla, of Khosla Ventures, hosted a fundraiser for President Biden in Could. Marissa Mayer, Yahoo’s former chief government, held a reception for him, too.
This time, although, the previous president appears to be gaining floor within the tech world, together with by way of high-profile donations like Mr. Helberg’s.
The tech insider dismissed the latest responsible verdict in opposition to the previous president in New York, saying the trial was “extensively considered a sham.”
“The conviction appeared extra like a vengeful act,” Mr. Helberg stated.
When requested why he had modified his thoughts in regards to the former president, Mr. Helberg drew consideration to the Obama administration’s strategy to China—what he referred to as “a coverage of managed decline”—in addition to the “woke wave of 2020,” which he stated has come to dominate the get together he as soon as favored.
A Pattern in Tech
Whereas Mr. Helberg has been particularly outspoken, he’s half of a bigger motion in some elements of the tech world.
Present and former “Palantirians” like Mr. Helberg, in addition to others related to the world of protection tech, are amongst these backing the previous president in an business that’s typically hostile to Republicans.
In the course of the 2022 midterms, the overwhelming majority of donations from staff of Twitter, now X, went to Democrats.
In comparison with many different tech corporations, Palantir is extra evenly divided between the 2 major events. An analysis from Open Secrets and techniques discovered that about 56 % of Congressional donations related to Palantir went to Democrats, whereas about 40 % went to Republicans.
Anduril Industries was cofounded by a group from Palantir. Anduril cofounder Palmer Luckey, whose sister is married to Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), has lengthy been a outstanding supporter of former President Trump and different Republican politicians. He co-hosted a sold-out fundraiser at which the previous president spoke, in Newport Seashore, California, on June 8.
Enterprise capitalist David Sacks, who beforehand backed the presidential campaigns of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and unbiased candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., co-hosted a tech world Trump fundraiser of his personal on June 6 alongside one in every of his “All In” podcast co-hosts, enterprise capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya. Prior to now, Mr. Palihapitiya donated massive sums to Democrats—for instance, $1 million to the Senate Majority PAC.
On a Could 31 episode of “All In,” he claimed that President Biden had not responded to an invite to seem on that program. The White Home has not responded to a request for affirmation of that declare.
“I’ve donated to Bobby Kennedy. I’ve donated to the Democrats massively. And I’ll donate to Donald Trump. And if there’s a possibility to speak to President Biden and actually perceive the place he’s at, I’d donate to him as properly,” Mr. Palihapitiya stated.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s ties to the tech world additionally embrace his working mate, Silicon Valley legal professional Nicole Shanahan, who has additionally donated massive sums to the marketing campaign. The founding father of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, voiced help for Mr. Kennedy in 2023.
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