Additional Coverage:
- Box CEO says to back Kamala Harris he’ll need to see ‘a 10-point plan for pro-business, pro-tech, pro-entrepreneurship’ (newsbreak.com)
As Vice President Kamala Harris emerges as the likely Democratic candidate, there is a growing optimism in Silicon Valley that the Bay Area native will champion tech and business-friendly policies.
“Kamala literally comes from this area,” Box CEO Aaron Levie remarked to Politico, highlighting her strong connections to the tech sector.
Harris’s engagement with Silicon Valley dates back to her tenure as San Francisco’s district attorney and later as California’s attorney general—positions that acquainted her with the tech community’s unique dynamics. She has maintained relationships with tech leaders such as former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg, appearing alongside her during her 2015 Senate campaign at Meta’s headquarters.
Harris has even referred to Alphabet employees as “family” during a 2010 visit, acknowledging their shared home state ties. Major tech firms like Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft have consistently supported her political journeys, including her 2020 presidential and 2016 Senate runs.
Following Joe Biden’s endorsement, influential Democratic donors such as Sandberg, Melinda Gates, and LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman quickly expressed their support. Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings made a significant $7 million contribution to her campaign shortly afterward.
Despite her favorable ties, Harris has not avoided proposing regulations on large tech companies. In 2019, she supported a California measure granting gig workers from companies like Lyft and Uber further rights, including overtime pay and the option to unionize. She has also mentioned the potential need to break up Meta.
Harris’s rigorous stance has caused some hesitation among big tech donors, as Levie pointed out, suggesting more expressed support for the tech industry could secure additional backing. Levie believes a clear tech-friendly policy outline from Harris could quickly mobilize significant industry support.
He envisions a Harris-led tech agenda easing immigration constraints to attract global talent and opposing the proposed tax on unrealized capital gains—a move he argues could stifle equity investment in startups.
Under the current administration, the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission have adopted stringent antitrust tactics affecting major tech corporations, sometimes applying new monopoly definitions to launch legal actions.
A spokesperson from the Harris campaign declined to comment on these insights, and Box did not return a request for comment.
Within the Biden administration, Harris has taken a leading role in formulating early policies on artificial intelligence, meeting with top AI industry leaders in May 2023. She emphasized in a London speech the administration’s commitment to both safeguarding the public and fostering innovation.
Despite Silicon Valley’s initial enthusiasm when Biden selected Harris as his 2020 running mate, there is hope that her potential presidency could usher in more lenient tech policies. “A lot of people wish the Democratic party would stop shooting themselves in the footer,” Levie remarked in a discussion with Fortune’s Diane Brady.
This story was first published on Fortune.com.