Musk Amplifies Conservative Voices in Liberal Silicon Valley

AFP/APP

San Francisco: Silicon Valley, traditionally a Democratic stronghold, is witnessing a shift as more voices openly support Donald Trump, encouraged by Elon Musk.

The South African-born tech mogul has committed nearly $100 million to Trump’s presidential campaign, using his X social media platform and campaigning in crucial swing states to bolster Trump’s White House bid.

“Musk is revered by a lot of people in Silicon Valley,” noted tech entrepreneur and author Vivek Wadhwa, a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University. “More people on the right are just saying, ‘Look, we’re fed up, we’re going to vote for Trump,’ and they’re doing it fearlessly, impacting the opinions of others.”

Musk’s support has amplified long-standing conservative sentiments within California’s tech scene, where figures like Peter Thiel, a conservative investor and former PayPal colleague of Musk, have quietly championed similar views.

Thiel’s college friend, David Sacks, co-hosted a high-profile fundraiser for Trump in San Francisco in June and spoke at the Republican nominating convention.

Nick Pinkston, founder and CEO of Volition, observed, “Some of those people were already conservative, and now they’re given more license to speak,” pointing to the libertarian principles driving their actions.