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☆ How tech bros bought 'America's most pro-crypto Congress ever'
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-23 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Bernie Moreno, Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Ohio, attends a campaign event in Holland, Ohio, on Saturday, October 26, 2024. In total, crypto-related PACs and other groups tied to the industry reeled in over $245 million, according to Federal Election Commission data. Crypto accounted for nearly half of all corporate dollars that flowed into the election, according to nonprofit watchdog Public Citizen. It was one of the top spending committees of any industry this cycle and exclusively gave to pro-crypto candidates running for Congress. "Welcome to America's most pro-crypto Congress ever," Armstrong wrote on X on Nov. 5.

Persons: Bernie Moreno, Moreno, Sen, Sherrod Brown, Tom Williams, Donald Trump, Coinbase, Crypto, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, David Sacks, " Moreno, Brian Armstrong, Fred Ehrsam, Faryar Shirzad, Armstrong, Ehrsam, Coinbase's Armstrong, Gary Gensler, Brown, Elizabeth Warren, FTX, Fairshake, gunning, Republican Jim Justice, Democratic Sen, Joe Manchin, Katie Porter, Porter, he'd, Horowitz, Sacks, Coinbase's Shirzad, Moreno wasn't, Shirzad, David McIntosh, McIntosh, hasn't, JD Vance's, Sam Bankman, Gensler, Andreessen Horowitz, Cameron, Tyler Winklevoss, Ripple, Chris Larsen, JD Vance, Paul Grewal, Jesse Powell, Trump, Phil Potter, Multicoin Capital's Kyle Samani, Fred Wilson, Charles Cascarilla, Mike Belshe, Solana, Anatoly Yakovenko, Wences Casares Organizations: Republican U.S, Cq, Inc, Getty, Democratic, Banking Committee, Public Citizen, Crypto, House, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Senate, Committee, Republicans, Protect, Fairshake, Defend, Jobs, Republican, New, CNBC, Andreessen, Craft Ventures, Club for Growth, Growth, Politico, PAC, Labs, Senate Inc, Trump, Union Square Ventures, Xapo Bank Locations: Republican, Ohio, Holland , Ohio, Cleveland, Coinbase, U.S, Arizona, Michigan, West Virginia, California, Washington, FTX, Nashville , Tennessee

☆ Those bold AGI predictions are suddenly looking stretched
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The generative AI boom has inspired bold AGI predictions ranging from this happening in 2025, 2026, or maybe 2027. AdvertisementThat's the main reason for huge gains in recent years in the performance of AI models. AdvertisementHorowitz noted several factors that are holding back AI model improvements, including a lack of new high-quality human data and problems sourcing the extra energy needed to power AI data centers. AGI questionsIf the main tried-and-true method for improving AI models is no longer working, we are unlikely to get AGI anytime soon. Altman's bold AGI predictions may also be an effective rallying cry for hard-working OpenAI employees.

Persons: Sam Altman, there's, that's, Oren Etzioni, Etzioni, Ilya Sutskever, Noam Brown, Google hasn't, Marc, Ben, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Andreessen, Horowitz, we're, OpenAI, Altman, we've, AGI, Elon Musk, It's Organizations: YouTube, Allen Institute, Tech, Reuters, Orion, Bloomberg, Google, AGI, Microsoft, Intel, Computer, Artificial Intelligence Locations: Seattle

☆ The crypto industry plowed tens of millions into the election. Now, it’s looking for a return on that investment
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Fredreka Schouten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Crypto super PACs spent heavily on Republicans as well as key Democrats, including two who won open seats in the US Senate, Elissa Slotkin in Michigan and Ruben Gallego in Arizona. How Washington regulates the industry has enormous consequences for this burgeoning sector, along with the 52 million Americans who now hold digital assets. “The strategy is to have as many conversations with as many people in the Trump orbit as possible so that everyone has an understanding of what the crypto industry is most interested in,” she said. They also helped finance Fairshake, a crypto industry super PAC launched last year that was active in congressional contests. An industry super PAC spent $40 million to back to Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno in Ohio, who ousted three-term Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.

Persons: Donald Trump, Gary Gensler, Biden, Crypto, Elissa Slotkin, Ruben Gallego, Sam Bankman, “ Crypto, ” Kristin Smith, we’ll, that’s, ” Smith, ”, Smith, Dan Gallagher, Paul Atkins, Atkins, Gallagher, Bitcoin, Trump, –, It’s, Barron, Steve Witkoff, multibillionaire Elon Musk, Cantor Fitzgerald Howard Lutnick, Carlos Barria, Reuters Howard Lutnick, Cantor Fitzgerald, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz –, Sergio Gor, Andreessen, “, Tyler, Cameron Winklevoss, Musk, Katie Porter, Massachusetts Sen, Elizabeth Warren, Porter, Adam Schiff, Bernie Moreno, Democratic Sen, Sherrod Brown, Brown, Moreno, Colin McLaren, ” Robert Weissman, Andreessen Horowitz, Kara Calvert, CNN’s David Wright Organizations: CNN, Trump, Securities, Exchange Commission, Industry, Crypto, Blockchain Association, SEC, Token Alliance, Liberty, Liberty Financial, of Government, Republican, Reuters, Venture, Biden, PAC, Democratic Rep, Democratic, Banking Committee, Commodities Futures Trading Commission, Cedar Innovation Foundation, Consumer, Public Citizen Locations: Washington, Michigan, Arizona, Madison, New York City, U.S, America, Bitcoin, Massachusetts, California, Ohio

☆ Instead of job killings, there's a strange AI hiring boom happening, according to Marc Andreessen
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Instead of killing jobs, generative AI is fueling a surprising job boom, according to the venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. OpenAI and Google are struggling to significantly improve their next AI models, multiple media reports said this week. That's what makes these AI models smart, and without that, OpenAI and others are hitting a worrying wall. They're a function of the training data," Andreessen said. "And a big part of the AI hiring boom is actually hiring the experts to actually craft the answers to be able to train the AI."

Persons: Marc Andreessen, Horowitz, Andreessen, OpenAI, Ben Horowitz, Andreessen's Organizations: Google, AIs, Business, Andreessen Locations: chimed

☆ Silicon Valley's swing toward Trump is real. Here's the data to prove it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A notable portion of Silicon Valley's electorate has steadily shifted toward Donald Trump. In Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco counties, Trump's voteshare increased by several points. But with more than 76% of the votes counted in San Francisco, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties as of Tuesday, a trend is emerging. These numbers show that Trump and Republicans are still a long way off from gaining any real majorities in Silicon Valley. AdvertisementWhile Elon Musk is based in Texas these days, many of his companies, including Tesla, are still very active in Silicon Valley.

Persons: Donald Trump, San, —, Kamala Harris, Harris, Joe Biden, Hilary Clinton, Francisco county's, Trump, Democrat —, Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Horowitz, Elon, Tesla, reelect Trump, JD Vance, Peter Thiel, Ben Narasin, we've, voteshare Organizations: GOP, Service, Business, San, Apple, Google, Nvidia, State, Facebook, Meta, Republican, Trump, Democrat, Democratic, Venture, PayPal, Elon Locations: Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco counties, San Francisco Bay, California, San Francisco, Mateo county, Silicon Valley, Texas, Atherton, San Mateo county

☆ Silicon Valley's Trump boosters celebrate: 'It's time to build'
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-06 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Tech leaders who openly supported Donald Trump took to X to celebrate his win Wednesday morning. AdvertisementAs former president Donald Trump swept to victory Wednesday morning, supporters in Silicon Valley posted messages of congratulations and even gloated over his return to the Oval Office. Some of tech's most high-profile and wealthiest names offered their first reactions after major news networks called the race for Trump. The billionaire owner of X and Tesla watched the election results roll in with Trump from Mar-a-Lago. AdvertisementMarc Andreessen, an early Facebook and Coinbase investor via his firm Andreessen Horowitz, had a curious relationship with Trump.

Persons: Donald Trump, Keith Rabois, —, Chamath Palihapitiya, Shaun Maguire, Trump . Elon Musk, Tesla, Joe Biden, Israel —, Musk, Trump, Doug Leone, Joe Lonsdale, David Sacks, Obama, Biden, Harris, Sacks, Leone, Marc Andreessen, Andreessen Horowitz, Andreessen Organizations: Tech, Service, tech's, Trump, Trump ., Mar, San Francisco, Republicans, Israel, Craft Ventures, Republican National Convention, Business, Federal, Commission, National Republican, Founders Fund, SpaceX, Khosla Ventures Locations: Silicon Valley, Sequoia, America, San, Pennsylvania, Rabois

☆ Marc Andreessen says US carmakers need to make a $20,000 EV if they don't want to 'lose the auto industry' to China
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Jaures Yip | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Investors Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz said Chinese EVs are beating out American and European automakers. Andreessen Horowitz founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz said on their podcast that Chinese automakers have developed high-quality and affordable vehicles supported by a robust supply chain ecosystem. With the American auto industry struggling with slowing growth in its EV market, American automakers need to be able to offer a compelling $20,000 EV that also competes on quality if the US doesn't want to "lose the auto industry," Andreessen said. Andreessen said that Chinese car brands are outperforming American EV automakers in affordability and quality, calling them "super technologically sophisticated." AdvertisementTo keep up, American automakers need to be able to offer a similarly affordable and full-featured car at the $20,000 price point, Andreessen said.

Persons: Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Andreessen Horowitz, Xiaomi's, —, It's, Andreessen, they've, Horowitz, Jim Farley, " Horowitz, Elon Musk, Tesla, Musk, Xiaomi Organizations: Service, Centre, Strategic & International Studies, Ford, Porsche, Porsche Cayenne, American EV, Elon, Nissan Locations: China, Mexico, Dubai, American

☆ Venture capital is going to war over the election. Here's the data to prove it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-19 | by ( Rob Price | Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

VCs are lobbing cash at the presidential election and key congressional races, FEC data shows. This election cycle, investors at the top venture capital firms have plowed tens of millions of dollars into the election, both backing their favored political candidates and just cannily promoting commercial interests. (The filing deadline for Q3 data for quarterly filing entities was October 15, but this data isn't yet readily available in full online.) Business Insider selected 10 venture capital firms to focus on, taking into account fund size and cultural and industry significance. Sequoia Capital's Doug Leone is one of VC's most prolific GOP-aligned political donors, giving his almost $3.8 million to the National Republican Committee and other causes.

Persons: Reid Hoffman, Kamala Harris, —, hasn't, Andreessen Horowitz, blockchain, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, a16z, Horowitz, Andreessen, Harris, megadonor Reid Hoffman, Keith Rabois, Kleiner Perkins, Michael Moritz, Shaun Maguire, Joe Manchin, Hoffman, Horowitz Hoffman, Joe Biden, Biden, Nikki Haley, Trump, Vinod Khosla, John Doerr, Doug Leone, Elon Musk, Melia Russell, Rob Price Organizations: Service, Federal, Commission, Yuga Labs, White, Republicans, Founders Fund, SpaceX, Khosla Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Sequoia Heritage, Business, Republican, Lincoln, Democratic, Democratic Party, Democratic Congressional, Sequoia, National Republican, Future Forward PAC, America PAC, Elon, Investors, splashy Hamptons, Harris Victory Fund, Harris Action Fund, Democratic National Committee Locations: Solana, Sequoia, West Virginia, New Hampshire

☆ GOP megadonors open their wallets for Trump: From the Politics Desk
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-16 | by ( The Politics Desk | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

Three Senate Democratic candidates — Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, Maryland’s Angela Alsobrooks and Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin — raised more than four times as much as their Republican opponents during that period. In 2016, Trump lost the core Democratic states by 22 points, and in 2020, he lost them by 24 points. In this most recent poll, Trump was losing the core Democratic states by only 13 points. In 2016, Trump won the core GOP states by 18 points, and in 2020, his margin in the red states was 16 points. Read more → Follow live coverage from the campaign trail →That’s all from the Politics Desk for now.

Persons: Ben Kamisar, Bridget Bowman, Chuck Todd, Ben Kamisar Republican megadonors, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Miriam Adelson, Sheldon Adelson, Elon Musk, Marc Andreesen, Ben Horowitz, Ike Perlmutter, Richard Uihlein, Adelson, Harris, Musk, Trump, Horowitz, Perlmutter, Lara, Uihlein, Read, Ben →, lissa, ince, arris, huck, rena, huck →, hal, bate, Ted C Organizations: NBC, White House, Capitol, Electoral, Trump, Ben Kamisar Republican, Dallas Mavericks, Tesla, Marvel, Preserve, America, America PAC, Restoration PAC, Wisconsin Senate, Congressional, Trump MAGA Inc Locations: Preserve America, Maine, ried, ote

And that massive total doesn't include fundraising by the main pro-Trump super PAC, MAGA Inc., which will file its fundraising reports by Sunday. Adelson gave $95 million to Preserve America, a super PAC she’s almost entirely funded, during the third fundraising quarter, after previously giving the group $5 million in the prior quarter. Right for America, another pro-Trump group, raised $28 million last quarter — with multimillion-dollar checks from Andreesen, Horowitz and Perlmutter as well as Perlmutter's wife, Lara. The super PAC has spent heavily on the presidential race as well as on the Wisconsin Senate and Maine 2nd Congressional District campaigns. Harris has plenty of super PAC backup, too: Future Forward (known as FF PAC) had raised $200 million through August, while MAGA Inc. had raised $280 million.

Persons: megadonors, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Miriam Adelson, Sheldon Adelson, Elon Musk, Marc Andreesen, Ben Horowitz, Ike Perlmutter, Dick Uihlein, Adelson, Harris, Musk, Trump, Horowitz, Perlmutter, Lara, Uihlein, Dianne Hendricks, Harris ’, Joe Biden, —, it’s Organizations: Trump, Dallas Mavericks, Tesla, Marvel, MAGA Inc, Sunday, Preserve, America, America PAC, Restoration PAC, Wisconsin Senate, Congressional, Trump MAGA Inc, FF PAC, NBC, Harris, Democratic National Committee, Democratic Locations: Preserve America, Maine, Wisconsin

☆ Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz each donated $2.5 million to a pro-Donald Trump super PAC
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-16 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

New FEC filings reveal the pro-Trump super PAC "Right for America" attracted major donors. Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz each donated $2.5 million to the super PAC, the filings show. According to the Federal Election Commission documents, Andreessen and Horowitz each donated $2.5 million to the "Right for America" PAC. Andreessen and Horowitz announced their support for Trump in July during an episode of the "The Ben & Marc Show" podcast. Representatives for Andreessen Horowitz and the Right for America PAC did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Persons: Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, —, Andreessen, Horowitz, Donald J, Trump, Ben, Marc, Kamala Harris, Harris, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Musk, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Isaac Perlmutter, Laura, Marc Rowan, Andreessen Horowitz Organizations: Trump, Marvel Entertainment, Apollo Global Management, Service, Federal, America, PAC, Google, Little Tech, Trump PAC, Democratic, Republican, Tesla, America PAC, for America PAC, Business Locations: America

☆ A pro-Trump PAC has received millions in crypto donations since June
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-16 | by ( Aditi Bharade | Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A pro-Trump PAC has raised more than $7.5 million in cryptocurrency donations since June. Trump 47 PAC raised the amount in bitcoin, ether, USDC, and other cryptocurrencies, per FEC filings. AdvertisementA political action committee called Trump 47 has raised $7.5 million in cryptocurrency donations for former President Donald Trump's White House bid. According to Federal Election Commission filings on Tuesday, the Trump 47 PAC received donations in bitcoin, ether, XRP, and other cryptocurrencies. But in May, Trump hosted an event in Mar-a-Lago, where he said he would accept cryptocurrency donations for his campaign.

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, Cameron, Tyler Winklevoss, Trump, I've, cryptocurrency, bitcoin, he'll, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Andreessen Horowitz, Elon Musk, Kamala Harris, Mark Cuban, Cuban Organizations: Trump PAC, Trump, PAC, Service, Federal, Records, Liberty, AFP, Fox Business, United, FEC, America, America PAC — Locations: United States, Mar, Nashville

☆ Harris PAC's $1 million contribution from Ripple's Chris Larsen shows crypto industry warming to VP
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

In total, Larsen has given around $1.9 million to support Harris' campaign directly and through PACs, according to FEC data compiled by crypto market and blockchain analyst James Delmore and independently verified by CNBC. Nearly half of all the corporate money flowing into the election has come from the crypto industry, according to a recent report from the nonprofit watchdog group Public Citizen. "What we've had to date has been almost like purposeful chaos by Gensler to kind of crush the domestic industry," Larsen said. Horowitz said that he and his wife, Felicia, "have known Vice President Harris for over 10 years and she has been a great friend to both of us during that time." On Monday, the Harris campaign unveiled its "Opportunity Agenda for Black Men" in a report.

Persons: Chris Larsen, Donald Trump's, Chris Larsen isn't, Ripple, Kamala Harris, Larsen, who's, Harris, he's, Biden, " Larsen, isn't, James Delmore, that's, Evelyn Hockstein, Andreessen Horowitz, Trump, keynoted, Josh Shapiro, John Deaton, Massachusetts Republican who's, Democratic Sen, Elizabeth Warren, Nancy Pelosi, Gary Gensler, Brad Garlinghouse, Marvin Ammori, Skybridge Capital's Anthony Scaramucci, Scaramucci, Warren, Ben Horowitz, Marc Andreessen, Horowitz, Felicia, Delmore Organizations: YouTube, White, CNBC, Biden, Democratic, Harris, Fund, Forbes, Public Citizen, U.S, Erie International Airport, Democratic Pennsylvania Gov, Massachusetts Republican, Nancy Pelosi Victory Fund, Biden PAC, SEC, Trump, Ripple, White House, Sen Locations: Bay, Erie , Pennsylvania, U.S, Nashville , Tennessee, Massachusetts, Washington ,, New York

☆ VC power player Ben Horowitz says he'll donate to Kamala Harris. Read the memo.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-05 | by ( Melia Russell | Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ben Horowitz, A16z cofounder, said in July that he plans to support former President Donald Trump's campaign. An email to A16z employees now reveals that he plans to donate to Vice President Kamala Harris. The investor wrote that he and his wife will be making a "significant donation" to support Harris. Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. In the Friday email, Horowitz wrote that he and his wife, Felicia, have known Vice President Kamala Harris for over 10 years and that "she has been a great friend to both of us during that time."

Persons: Ben Horowitz, A16z, Donald Trump's, Kamala Harris, Harris, —, Walz, Horowitz, Donald Trump, Felicia, Harris Walz, Ben, Felicia Horowitz's, Joe Biden, Marc Andreessen Organizations: Service, Business, Democratic, Trump Locations: A16z, Axios, America

☆ Venture capitalist Ben Horowitz says he plans to donate to VP Kamala Harris' campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Ari Levy | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Less than three months after announcing plans to contribute to political action committees supporting Donald Trump's presidential campaign, venture capitalist Ben Horowitz says he's donating to Vice President Kamala Harris' election bid, CNBC has confirmed. In a letter to employees of venture firm Andreessen Horowitz, the tech investor said he and his wife, Felicia, have had a longtime friendship with Harris. Horowitz wrote. Their financial support of the Trump campaign was due to what they called a better "little tech agenda." "We do not engage in political fights outside of issues directly relevant to Little Tech."

Persons: Donald Trump's, Ben Horowitz, Kamala Harris, Andreessen Horowitz, Felicia, Harris, Axios, Horowitz, " Horowitz, Harris Walz, Andreessen, haven't, Trump, Biden, he's Organizations: CNBC, Little Tech

☆ Adam Neumann's new startup is reworking WeWork's old business model
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Workflow has a different business strategy than Neumann's previous company, Bloomberg reports. Neumann told the outlet that investors at Andreessen Horowitz will help keep him disciplined. Ben Bergman/BI"The lack of community and the disconnection that people feel is even more relevant today" than in the days of WeWork, Neumann told Bloomberg of Workflow. Neumann says he's learned his lessonCritics didn't just zero in on WeWork's business model but also on Neumann's management. We're really not sure that we know the answer, therefore we're taking our time," Neumann told Bloomberg.

Persons: Adam Neumann, Neumann, Andreessen Horowitz, —, WeWork, he's, WeWork's, Insider's Ben Bergman, Ben Bergman, Justin Sullivan, Ben Horowitz, Marc Andreessen, Andreessen, Noam Galai, TechCrunch Neumann, We're Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Fort, Business, Flow, TechCrunch Locations: Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Atlanta, Nashville, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, WeWork's

☆ Why Kamala Harris and Donald Trump Are Courting the Crypto Crowd
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Trump and Harris have different reasons to try to attract the crypto community — donors, voters, the fact that the former president likes anyone who flatters him, etc. All of Trump's courting of the crypto industry is possible because Democrats left open an opportunity for him to pounce. Related storiesWhile Molly White, a crypto researcher and critic, described Harris' recent statements about crypto as "middle of the road," she said she thought the crypto industry was "definitely taking an optimistic view." The crypto industry doesn't mind the attention it's getting from policymakers. What Harris or Trump will actually do on crypto is unclear, but that's not really the point right now.

Persons: cryptocurrency, Crypto, Sen, Katie Porter, Jamaal Bowman, Sherrod Brown's, Bernie Moreno, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Trump, Harris, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Andreessen Horowitz, Cameron, Tyler Winklevoss, He's, Adam Kovacevich, Joe Biden's, Gary Gensler, Lina Khan, Biden, Sheila Warren, Brian Hughes, Elizabeth Warren, Jon Tester, Bernie Sanders, Barron, it's, Robert Weissman, he's, She's, Chuck Schumer, Jared Polis of, Anthony Scaramucci, Mark Cuban, Ron Conway, Sherrod Brown, Kamala, she's, Rachael Horwitz, " Horwitz, Harris hasn't, Molly White, Horwitz, It's, There's, Weissman, Dan Cassino, Khan, Warren, that's, Emily Stewart Organizations: Democratic, Sherrod Brown's Republican, Gemini, Facebook, Trump, GOP, Republican, of, Democrats, Securities and Exchange, Federal Trade Commission, Crypto, Innovation, Liberty Financial, Public Citizen, Financial Times, Politico, Gov, Jared Polis of Colorado, Wall Street, Haun Ventures, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Capitol Hill, SEC, FTC, Chamber, Business Locations: Ohio, Wisconsin, Nashville, United States, Silicon Valley, That's, California, New York, America, bitcoin, Washington

☆ 2024 Election: Crypto Bros Could Swing Votes Toward Kamala or Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Trump and Harris have different reasons to try to attract the crypto community — donors, voters, the fact that the former president likes anyone who flatters him, etc. All of Trump's courting of the crypto industry is possible because Democrats left open an opportunity for him to pounce. In September, he unveiled his own crypto venture, World Liberty Financial. The crypto industry doesn't mind the attention it's getting from policymakers. What Harris or Trump will actually do on crypto is unclear, but that's not really the point right now.

☆ Opinion | Silicon Valley’s MAGA Moment
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Chris Hughes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I co-founded Facebook in college 20 years ago, but I left California and start-up culture behind long ago for public policy and economics. As we sat over scrambled eggs, chicken sausage and whole-wheat toast, I was struck by how many of the wealthiest and most powerful figures in Silicon Valley — including some I knew — were now loudly backing Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump claims that Mark Zuckerberg called him to say that he wouldn’t support a Democrat in November, although Mr. Zuckerberg’s spokesperson denied the claim. It would be easy to write off tech’s rightward drift as nothing more than the rich acting in their economic self-interest, but Silicon Valley has always been driven by profit, and it hasn’t tilted Republican since the 1980s. Even now, it remains largely Democratic, even though even some of Kamala Harris’s strongest Valley supporters worry about how she might approach tech policy.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, —, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg’s, Kamala Harris’s Organizations: Facebook Locations: Flatiron, Manhattan, California, Silicon Valley

☆ Saudi Arabia just stepped up plans to court the world's AI leaders to its desert kingdom
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In recent months, Saudi Arabia has hosted a flurry of high-profile events, leaders, and dealmaking from the AI world. This year's showcase featured speakers from top AI companies in the West, such as Nvidia, Qualcomm, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI rival Cohere. Saudi Aramco is working with AI startup Groq to build a new data center in Saudi Arabia. For Saudi Arabia, AI doesn't just present the chance to bet big on tech's latest hype train. Saudi Arabia generated a similar amount of hype around its AI ambitions in March when it held its LEAP conference.

Persons: —, Mohammed bin Salman, Cohere, Saudi Aramco —, Hamad, Mohammed Groq, Groq, Jonathan Ross, doesn't, Adam Selipsky, Arvind Krishna, Abdullah Alswaha, PIF, A16z, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz Organizations: Service, Saudi Arabia's, Business, Global AI, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Google, Microsoft, BlackRock, Cisco, Public Investment Fund, Amazon Web, IBM, Saudi, New York Times, Silicon Locations: Saudi Arabia, Saudi Aramco, Bay

☆ Andreessen Horowitz just dealt a blow to tech's move-to-Miami movement
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-04 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewAndreessen Horowitz has reportedly given up on its Miami office after just two years in the space. "The firm is now virtual, but can materialize physically on command," Horowitz said at the time. Andreessen Horowitz did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. VC investment in Miami also saw a huge decrease in 2023, dropping 70% to $2 billion, according to the Journal.

Persons: —, Andreessen Horowitz, cofounders, Ben Horowitz, Horowitz, Marc Andreessen, Keith Rabois, Rabois, Florida . Austin, Elon Musk, he'd Organizations: Service, Miami Beach, Bloomberg, Business, Miami, Street Journal, SpaceX Locations: Miami, Miami Beach, Miami Beach , New York City, Santa Monica, Francisco, California, San Francisco, Fort Lauderdale, Florida ., Austin, Texas

☆ VCs are fighting, investors are annoyed, and the presidential election has become a constant distraction that Silicon Valley just wants to be over
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-24 | by ( Ben Bergman | Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. She didn't sign, not because she doesn't support Harris (she does) but because she sees no upside in broadcasting her political intentions. The former president has also received endorsements from famous VCs Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Doug Leone, and David Sacks. Now, executives are waiting until after the election concludes to make any decision, according to a source familiar with the matter. Publicly supporting candidates has no upside for LPs, especially considering many LPs have their own agendas, added a VC.

Persons: —, Kamala, Kamala Harris, Harris, We're, Joe Biden, David Hornik, Israel —, There's, Leslie Feinzaig, VCs, Elon Musk, Trump, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Doug Leone, David Sacks, Reid Hoffman, Reed Hastings, Ron Conway, Graham, Walker, MAGA, they're, Divya Kakkad, Sacks, Jesse Middleton, Middleton, Cameron Lester, Lester, tradespeople, ServiceTitan, I've Organizations: Service, Business, San Francisco, Lobby Capital, August, Republicans, Israel, Netflix, Graham, Craft Ventures, Jefferies, Publicly Locations: San, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, Bay, New York

☆ A16z's Jennifer Li went from business school to computer science to the startup world. Here's how she parlayed that experience into AI investing.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-20 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewJennifer Li didn't know from the get-go that she was interested in computer science and software engineering. AdvertisementIn school, Li made the unusual jump from business to computer science. Related storiesShe studied technology commercialization and management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a well-known science and engineering school in upstate New York, and later earned another master's degree at Carnegie Mellon University in computer science. Both of her parents are engineers, and Li said that she began exploring the world of computer science and engineering to satisfy a curiosity of how things are created. Computer science helped with that system of thinking."

Persons: —, Jennifer Li didn't, Andreessen Horowitz, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Li, she's, Kleiner Perkins, Mamoon Hamid, Andy Chen, Asheem, chatted, we're, that's Organizations: Service, Business, Silicon Graphics, Shanghai University of Finance, Economics, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Cisco, Zoom, a16z Locations: a16z, China, New York, San Francisco, AppDynamics, Solvvy

☆ Mark Cuban says Silicon Valley tech bros have lost their grip on reality and now want to be the board of directors to Trump's CEO
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Go to newsletter preferencesSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Now, Trump enjoys the support from Silicon Valley bigwigs like Tesla CEO Elon Musk and venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. They want to vote for normal people they can relate to," Cuban wrote in an X post on August 6. Representatives for Cuban and the Trump campaign didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Persons: —, Mark Cuban, Donald Trump, It's, Jon Stewart, Trump, Cuban, Stewart, they've, Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Vance, Musk, Sen, JD Vance, Ohio, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Biden, Harris, Tim Walz, Walz, Walz didn't, didn't Organizations: Service, titans, Business, PayPal, Tesla, Trump, Democratic Party, Republican Party, Democratic, Ivy League, University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Yale Law School, Cuban, Business Insider Locations: Silicon, United States, America, Silicon Valley, San Francisco Bay, Minnesota

☆ Secret to Startup Success: Being an Obnoxious Risk-Taker
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Nate Silver | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Of the billionaires on the 2023 Forbes 400 list — the 400 richest people in the United States — 70% are basically self-made. In 1982, only 40% of the Forbes 400 had started their own business; the majority were simply scions of inherited wealth. The Forbes 400, however, is the extreme right tail of the curve. But you're not sniffing the Forbes 400 list, where the bidding starts at about $3 billion. I don't think VCs are deliberately picking founders they think are unreliable, although sometimes it seems like it.

Persons: Raj Chetty, That's, Chamath Palihapitiya, Palihapitiya, Josh Wolfe, Wolfe, Elon Musk, Thiel, Jeff Bezos, we're, Sam Bankman, Andreessen Horowitz, A16z, Adam Neumann, Neumann, WeWork, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Horowitz, they've, Benchmark's Gurley, Gurley, Nate Silver Organizations: Forbes, United States —, Social Capital, Burger, Lux, VCs, New York Times, Penguin Press, Penguin Publishing, Penguin Random Locations: United States, America, Sri Lanka, Canada, Coney, Israeli, Silicon, Canyon Point , Utah

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