Nicole Shanahan, a prominent attorney from Silicon Valley and former running mate of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., recently shed light on the intricate relationship between the Democratic Party and major tech corporations in Silicon Valley.
She made these revelations during her guest appearance on Roseanne Barr's podcast.
According to The Post Millennial, Shanahan's discussion centered around the 2016 election, particularly the tech industry's criticism of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg following Hillary Clinton's defeat by Donald Trump. "Mark Zuckerberg was blamed for the loss of Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump," Shanahan stated, alluding to the Russia-gate scandal and the ensuing controversy over Cambridge Analytica's exploitation of Facebook data.
Shanahan emphasized the profound impact this event had on Silicon Valley, stating, This was made a massive deal in Silicon Valley. It changed everything. She further elaborated, It made everyone realize in the valley that this little motley crew of wealthy millennial assholes were changing the entire landscape of geopolitics.
In the aftermath of the 2016 election, Shanahan observed a significant transformation in Silicon Valley's political fundraising landscape. Tech founders began establishing sophisticated organizations with political agendas. Theres all these different strategic arms using tech to figure out how to win elections, she noted. She also highlighted how Zuckerberg became a cautionary figure, stating, Mark Zuckerberg was made an example of for what never to do and he then became the poster boy for if your system is used to take down a democrat candidate, you will be held accountable for it.
Shanahan further reflected on the broader implications of these developments, remarking, The way that it was looked at in 2016 was that tech broke politicsTech broke politics and Silicon Valley was whipped into shape.
Shanahan also drew attention to the simultaneous emergence of Democratic Party bundlers and tech individuals, coinciding with the introduction of new social requirements in the tech industry. There was no coincidence that all of these big Democratic party bundlers and tech people popped up at the same time that all of these new requirements, social requirements, around tech popped up. It came hand in hand, she said. She further explained how politicians began to recruit ex-employees from Silicon Valley to join Washington, including those who had served in the Obama and Biden administrations. Shanahan claimed that It started this whole new trend of we need Silicon Valley to shape up and participate and represent the Democratic Party.
Shanahan's revelations come at a time when Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly decided to refrain from endorsing any candidate in the current election. Last month, Zuckerberg informed Congress that he would not be contributing funds to local election efforts, a stark contrast to 2020 when he donated $400 million. Despite facing criticism from conservatives for his previous alignment with Democratic Party demands, Zuckerberg has recently attempted to distance himself from politics, appealing to right-wing media and claiming to be a Libertarian.
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