Article 2C62K Meet the rightwing power players lurking beneath Silicon Valley's liberal facade

Meet the rightwing power players lurking beneath Silicon Valley's liberal facade

by
Julia Carrie Wong in San Francisco
from Technology | The Guardian on (#2C62K)

Despite promoting an image of innovative iconoclasm, outside the spotlight a cadre of powerful tech figures are planting themselves in Trump's corner

When a group of 97 technology companies filed a legal submission against Donald Trump's travel ban for citizens of seven Muslim-majority companies, the immediate question for many was not who had signed, but who had not. Absence from the brief became a source of embarrassment, and many new tech firms - including Adobe, Tesla, Zenefits, Postmates and Fitbit - quickly jumped on board.

As much as Silicon Valley likes to promote an image of innovative iconoclasm, companies have a herd mentality when it comes to political or social issues. Once one company goes out on a limb, the rest rush to follow. With near-unanimous opposition to Trump's executive order, tech burnished its image as a bastion of progressive values - a reputation that had taken a major hit when top executives travelled to Trump Tower in December to make nice with the then president-elect.

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