Marc Andreessen has been feeling pretty good since Election Day. And at the end of November He moved on. Joe Rogan’s experience To say much, Andreessen sits in the podcast studio. Smiling, he told Rogan he was “very happy” about the election. And now it’s “Morning in America,” a direct reference to Ronald Reagan’s famous campaign ad.
Andreessen, the billionaire co-founder of famous venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (aka a16z), put all his chips on Donald Trump in July. In a podcast with his business partner Ben Horowitz, Andreessen announced he would support the president-elect. and overall He has donated at least $4.5 million to the MAGA super PAC now after publicly lobbying for financial and technology deregulation. He was ready to take action. The Washington Post Reported that he is helping Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy plan the Department of Government Efficiency, Trump’s proposed advisory agency with authority to reduce the size of government; The vision has become concrete: open. RoganAndreessen sharply criticized the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a consumer protection agency created in response to the 2008 financial crisis. Musk later concurred in Post on X that it’s time to “remove CFPB”
Andreessen has long been interested in politics. And he never cared. shy It’s about sharing his opinion. (Although he seems to be trying to avoid confronting ideas he might not like: he’s a deterrent to many reporters in X .) Still. He has also fully embraced Trump and his right-wing talking points—including false claims supported by the government “Internet censorship unit” at stanford university It represents a clear shift that has become common among America’s ideologues. In addition to Musk, Ramaswamy and Andreessen, other elites They also dared to step into more political power. last week Trump announced that he had selected former PayPal executive and venture capitalist David Sacks, another successful X user, to be his “White House AI & Crypto Czar.”
Consider billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman. who gained notoriety outside of financial circles for driving the entire news cycle last winter. with an aggressive social media campaign against the university president, who he sees as insufficiently cracking down on pro-Palestinian campus protesters; (At that time he spoke especially forcefully: Claudine Gay, President of Harvard University It leveled right-wing activists’ accusations of academic dishonesty against her. Gay admits she repeats Since then, Ackman has used his public platform to Put pressure on politicians and Administrator to cancel diversity initiatives; Equality and inclusivity in july He has officially endorsed Trump. Then spent the next several months covering MAGA talking points, including 1,800 words. Post In Dozens of other issues which has been viewed more than 9 million times (“Nicely said!” Musk respond– on CNBC interviewHe spoke of Trump’s commitment to economic growth. and cited Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s goodwill to deal with what Ackman described as ” “The 73-match regime we gave to our children.”
Others in this orbit have shown a willingness to take actions that might cross previous red lines. In the month of October Los Angeles Times Owner Patrick Soon-Shiong and the washington post Owner Jeff Bezos kills Kamala Harris’ planned newspaper ad (Sun-Song say that Harris’ position on the war in Gaza This was coupled with a general feeling that the opinion writers in his report leaned too far to the left. It inspired his decision. While Bezos write in an op-ed (He said his decision was an attempt to restore trust in a media that the public often views as biased.) Meanwhile, Musk has loudly touted his policy preferences and has worked not only as Consult only occasionally but are also de facto employees of Trump’s campaign In allow Far-right personalities and content flourish—as my colleague Charlie Warzel wrote . This effectively turns the platform into a white supremacist site.
Of course, the wealthy always find ways to distort the political system. Education 2014Political scientists Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page reviewed thousands of polls and surveys over more than 20 years and Found that The preferences of the wealthiest Americans are more likely to affect policy change than the average citizen. But the machinery of influence was once underground. Few people know about the political influence machine that the Koch brothers built over the decades. If it weren’t for work of investigative journalists Hedge fund billionaire George Soros has long received funding from liberal non-profits. In 2016, Rupert Murdoch make it an issue To say that he “I never asked the Prime Minister anything” after that Evening Standard Reported He boasted that he could tell the British government what to do. The media magnate wants to conceal at least some of his influence. Until recently Elites and politicians working together fear a scandal about the sausage-making process is about to be revealed. and the public backlash that may follow.
The energy is different now. “The sentiments of the ruling class have really changed,” Rob Larson, an economics professor who has written about the influence of Ultrarich and Silicon Valley on politics, told me. Many American ideologues don’t seem to care if people know if they are trying to distort the political system and the Fourth Estate to their own benefit. Billionaires like Andreessen and Ackman are openly airing their political aspirations and “definitely feel their animal spirits,” Larson said, or so Northwestern University political science professor Jeffery says. Jay Winters gave an interview after the election. with slate– It feels like a time of “oligarchy in front of you”
Part of this change can be noted by the fact that many billionaires now come from technology, and Silicon Valley has a history of fostering unique personalities: “Brassiness is an essential part of being an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. has been celebrated for a long time,” said Becca Lewis, a researcher at Stanford University. which focuses on the politics of the technology industry, spoke to me “You should be a disruptor or an outside-the-box thinker.” Over the years, Technology leaders may think of themselves as mavericks. (Although the industry employs many lobbyists.) But now the winds have changed: Technologies like crypto have been politicized. and they brought the boast of the valley to fight for it.
That the ultra-rich are richer than ever may be part of the explanation, Larson said. Having more money means facing fewer consequences. The last time the elites cried out for their influence, Larson said, was during the Gilded Age. When multi-millionaires like William Randolph Hearst and Jay Gould worked to shape American politics.
The practical effect of this behavior is a less equal system regardless of source. Many are concerned about the corrosive effects on democracy of President Donald’s administration. The upcoming Trump Even though corrosion has already occurred. A particularly vocal subgroup of the Ultra Rich Group was steering the ship. And I don’t care who knows.
