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- Peter Thiel linked the recent surge of Trump supporters in Silicon Valley to Elon Musk’s influence.
- Thiel mentioned to journalist Bari Weiss that Musk provided a sense of “cover” for fellow tech leaders backing Trump.
- He also noted that increasing dissatisfaction with “wokeness” has shifted the industry towards conservative views.
Billionaire investor Peter Thiel has credited Elon Musk with playing a significant role in making other technology leaders feel at ease when publicly endorsing President-elect Donald Trump.
The former CEO of PayPal participated in a post-election discussion with journalist Bari Weiss on an episode of her podcast, “Honestly,” released on Thursday.
Thiel, who supported Trump’s 2016 campaign but indicated he would refrain from political contributions this year, stated that Musk’s public backing was instrumental in shifting Silicon Valley’s political landscape ahead of the 2024 election.
“When others began speaking out, it created a safer environment for people to express their opinions,” Thiel remarked during the podcast interview.
In the lead-up to the election, numerous billionaires and business figures from Silicon Valley who had previously distanced themselves from Trump or maintained neutrality began voicing their support for him. Notable names included Marc Andreessen, David Sacks, and Shaun Maguire among others.
This apparent trend towards supporting Trump prompted over 100 venture capitalists—including Reid Hoffman, Ron Conway, and Mark Cuban—to publicly endorse Vice President Kamala Harris instead.
Despite Silicon Valley traditionally being a bastion of progressive politics and remaining predominantly Democratic during November’s elections, there was an observable increase in support for Trump across three counties central to America’s tech industry as reported by BI earlier this year.
Bari Weiss questioned Thiel about whether he believed Tesla’s CEO was “the key factor” enabling other business leaders to feel secure endorsing such a polarizing figure as Trump.
Musk did not respond immediately when approached by Business Insider for comments regarding these claims.
The billionaire entrepreneur invested millions into Trump’s campaign efforts. Recently announced plans indicate that Musk will take on a significant position within Trump’s administration as co-leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), alongside fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
However, according to Thiel, this cultural shift within Silicon Valley has been brewing over several years due largely to frustrations surrounding what he termed “political correctness” and “wokeness” prevalent within many companies today.
“There comes a point where people just become exhausted by it all; many top tech founders have confided similar sentiments behind closed doors,” said Thiel.
He described an atmosphere rife with growing discontent regarding corporate governance practices and how challenging it can be managing ideologically driven millennial employees.
(Current statistics show that nearly 70% of millennials identify as progressive.)
(Source: Pew Research Center)....
In 2022, after previously identifying more left-leaning politically himself—Musk characterized his recent pivot toward conservative politics as part of his mission against what he called the “woke mind virus.” He relocated Tesla’s headquarters from California—a historically blue state—to Texas—a red state—in 2021 while also announcing intentions earlier this year regarding moving both SpaceX and X operations there.
Thiel noted: “At some juncture along his journey; Elon underwent quite a transformation.” He elaborated on how restrictive ideological environments often stifle open dialogue even among those who might agree partially—stating it’s never sufficient unless one is entirely aligned.
Thiel suggested that Musk’s bold endorsement prior to elections could be seen as both “incredibly dangerous” yet equally “incredibly brave.”
“Perhaps we can all find ways ourselves—become slightly bolder than we might have otherwise chosen,” concluded Thiel.
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