Trump Supporters Are Rarer Than Unicorns in Silicon Valley

In Silicon Valley, where valuable "unicorn" startups are commonplace, the most mythical creature of all is the Donald Trump supporter. Sam Altman, president of startup accelerator Y Combinator, said he supported Republicans in the past. But Trump? "No, obviously not," he said. "It seems to be at least the end of the Republican Party, and maybe it’s the end of the Republic." Altman plans to vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton this time. Republicans usually stay pretty quiet in tech circles, but in 2016 "it’s next-level in terms of how discreet people are being," said Tucker Bounds, a startup founder and former deputy communications director for John McCain’s failed presidential campaign in 2008. Bounds has not decided who to vote for and said other candidates may emerge. Chris Sacca, an early investor in Twitter and Uber, said he knew "zero" Trump supporters in Silicon Valley. Hunter Walk, another venture capitalist, said, "No, not even folks who I suspect." Aaron Levie, chief executive officer of Box Inc., said "You won’t find that person in Silicon Valley."

The San Francisco (CA) Republican Party and the Santa Clara Republican Party did not name any tech industry Trump supporters when asked Thursday. One industry insider forwarded a long e-mail chain to Bloomberg News with executives discussing Trump’s victory. It included several Silicon Valley Republicans, none of whom wrote anything to support the candidate. Some Trump policies turn off the technology industry. Free trade deals and open immigration are popular in Silicon Valley and Trump has made building a wall between Mexico and the US a centerpiece of his campaign, while criticizing trade deals struck by Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.