Key Takeaways
- • Peter Thiel's Silicon Valley network lobbied Donald Trump in the weeks before he named Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his vice-presidential pick, with David Sacks, Palantir adviser Jacob Helberg and Thiel himself placing repeated calls, according to three people familiar with the entreaties (The Washington Post).
- • Thiel, Vance's former employer and mentor, bankrolled alongside other Silicon Valley donors Vance's 2022 U.S. Senate bid, and the Post describes the Vance pick as the payoff on a bet Thiel made roughly a decade ago.
- • Sacks hosted Trump and Vance at his San Francisco home for a June fundraiser attended by more than 50 technology executives and wealthy donors, per an attendee list reviewed by the Post.
- • Vance's Silicon Valley backers see him as an envoy for a doctrine that government and large incumbents such as Google and Lockheed Martin stifle innovation, while critics warn of pay-to-play and regulatory capture.
- • The Post reports that a web of Thiel-associated start-ups, including Anduril, in which Vance holds an investment, is competing for billions in government contracts.
Summary
According to The Washington Post, some of Silicon Valley's most prominent figures quietly campaigned for Ohio Sen. JD Vance before former president Donald Trump announced him as his running mate. Trump received repeated calls from David Sacks, Palantir adviser Jacob Helberg and billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel, Vance's former employer and mentor, urging him to add Vance to the ticket, based on accounts from three people familiar with the conversations.
Vance's Silicon Valley advocates view him as a spokesman for the argument that government and entrenched corporations stifle innovation while nimble start-ups can advance the national interest. The Post notes that some in Thiel's network stand to benefit from having Vance in the White House, a development that would give venture capitalists who had long avoided Washington a new asset. Delian Asparouhov, a partner at Thiel's Founder's Fund, celebrated the announcement on X.
The Post traces Thiel's bet to Vance's time at Yale Law School and the 2016 publication of his memoir "Hillbilly Elegy," which impressed Silicon Valley figures with its outsider story. Thiel bankrolled Vance's 2022 Senate campaign alongside other donors, and Vance later invested in companies popular with the MAGA set. Vance's ties to the business world, along with his positions on abortion and same-sex marriage, have drawn criticism, including claims of a possible pay-to-play arrangement.
The Post reports that Thiel was disappointed by the disorganization of Trump's first administration and its limited focus on science and innovation, though the Vance selection is helping to warm him to Trump. Trump has embraced industry-friendly positions on electric vehicles, cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence. Sacks hosted Trump and Vance at a June fundraiser in San Francisco that drew more than 50 technology executives and donors. Sacks, Elon Musk, Joe Lonsdale, Sequoia's Doug Leone and Andreessen Horowitz founders have supported Trump and donated to a pro-Trump PAC, according to the report. The Post contrasts this with a Biden administration it says has alienated tech leaders through crypto enforcement, AI regulation and challenges to acquisitions.
The article also details Vance's path into the Valley network, including his 2016 hiring at Mithril, a Thiel investment firm, and later work with Steve Case on Rise of the Rest, an initiative to build start-up talent outside coastal hubs. Supporters, including former Thiel Capital executive Blake Masters, credit Vance with understanding emerging technology challenges, while critics such as former investor Ellen Pao questioned whether his success reflects a willingness to shift with the political wind. Thiel and Vance did not respond to requests for comment, and the report is based on 17 interviews.
Vance's Silicon Valley advocates view him as a spokesman for the argument that government and entrenched corporations stifle innovation while nimble start-ups can advance the national interest. The Post notes that some in Thiel's network stand to benefit from having Vance in the White House, a development that would give venture capitalists who had long avoided Washington a new asset. Delian Asparouhov, a partner at Thiel's Founder's Fund, celebrated the announcement on X.
The Post traces Thiel's bet to Vance's time at Yale Law School and the 2016 publication of his memoir "Hillbilly Elegy," which impressed Silicon Valley figures with its outsider story. Thiel bankrolled Vance's 2022 Senate campaign alongside other donors, and Vance later invested in companies popular with the MAGA set. Vance's ties to the business world, along with his positions on abortion and same-sex marriage, have drawn criticism, including claims of a possible pay-to-play arrangement.
The Post reports that Thiel was disappointed by the disorganization of Trump's first administration and its limited focus on science and innovation, though the Vance selection is helping to warm him to Trump. Trump has embraced industry-friendly positions on electric vehicles, cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence. Sacks hosted Trump and Vance at a June fundraiser in San Francisco that drew more than 50 technology executives and donors. Sacks, Elon Musk, Joe Lonsdale, Sequoia's Doug Leone and Andreessen Horowitz founders have supported Trump and donated to a pro-Trump PAC, according to the report. The Post contrasts this with a Biden administration it says has alienated tech leaders through crypto enforcement, AI regulation and challenges to acquisitions.
The article also details Vance's path into the Valley network, including his 2016 hiring at Mithril, a Thiel investment firm, and later work with Steve Case on Rise of the Rest, an initiative to build start-up talent outside coastal hubs. Supporters, including former Thiel Capital executive Blake Masters, credit Vance with understanding emerging technology challenges, while critics such as former investor Ellen Pao questioned whether his success reflects a willingness to shift with the political wind. Thiel and Vance did not respond to requests for comment, and the report is based on 17 interviews.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.