“As I discussed earlier than, Felicia and I’ve recognized Vice President Harris for over 10 years and she or he has been an awesome buddy to each of us throughout that point,” Horowitz wrote in an e-mail to his enterprise capital agency obtained by Axios. “On account of our friendship, Felicia and I shall be making a major donation to entities who assist the Harris Walz marketing campaign.”

I… hear. Two issues. First, one of the vital placing issues concerning the podcast Horowitz made together with his a16z co-founder Marc Andreessen was how targeted each males have been on who’d take their conferences. Their political commitments, in lots of respects, boiled all the way down to who would spend face time with them. Close to the tip of the podcast, Horowitz informed what was (I feel?) speculated to be a heartwarming story about hanging out with Trump’s grandkids — and the way his response to listening to concerning the assassination try on Trump was, “Oh my god, Grandpa simply received shot.”

So, you already know, the entire thing the place Harris has been “an awesome buddy” to each Horowitz and his spouse checks out as a political place for him. In some respects, I get it. I too wish to see my mates succeed!

However second, that essential Trump endorsement was made earlier than Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race in favor of Harris, and earlier than the monumental outpouring of assist for the brand new Democratic candidate. That meant a16z had already sacrificed any leverage it may need with a Harris administration — and a candidate who made Trump appear to be much less of a positive winner. Within the case of a Harris win, these boys have been taking a look at a complete 4 years with out vital conferences, and we already know they view that as a dreadful tragedy for the whole nation.

With a view to regain any chance of leverage in a doubtlessly Democrat-led authorities, somebody was going to must eat humble pie, and it positive as shit wasn’t going to be Andreessen. Horowitz, whose assist for Trump was termed a “Maga U-turn” by The San Francisco Normal, has a historical past of donating to progressive causes; Harris, then a senator, was even a visitor at a Horowitz yard barbecue in 2018.

“I’m simply questioning what they’re gonna do when Kamala wins,” one founder informed The San Francisco Normal of the a16z Trump endorsement. “Like, how do you stroll that again?”

Nicely, I assume we all know now. Horowitz’s e-mail says that he’s had a number of conversations with Harris and her staff — essential to notice right here that he received to the candidate herself, on condition that entry is outwardly one in every of Horowitz’s fundamental political considerations. And so whereas Horowitz nonetheless thinks President Joe Biden is no-good and really dangerous, he’s “inspired by my perception” in Harris to do good for tech, even though she has not but staked out any coverage positions.

Harris has type of made overtures on what Horowitz termed “in all probability essentially the most emotional matter” within the election: crypto. Certainly one of her marketing campaign aides has stated, “She’s going to assist insurance policies that make sure that rising applied sciences and that type of trade can proceed to develop,” in response to a query about crypto.