Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix, has made headlines by donating $7 million to Kamala Harris’s campaign, marking his largest donation ever. Following this, Netflix experienced a wave of membership cancellations. Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos’s Washington Post opted not to endorse any candidates for the first time in decades, a decision attributed to Bezos’s desire to avoid political division. Additionally, tech leaders like Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai are reportedly engaging with Donald Trump, while Mark Zuckerberg maintains a neutral stance on the election.
Elon Musk’s Political Affiliation is Clear
Reed Hastings Makes a Significant Contribution to Kamala Harris
Reed Hastings, the billionaire co-founder of the popular streaming service Netflix, has made headlines with his political donations. Following Kamala Harris’s nomination as the Democratic candidate in July, Hastings stepped up by contributing seven million dollars to her campaign. He described this as his largest single donation ever in a recent interview. Interestingly, shortly after his contribution, a significant number of Netflix subscribers chose to cancel their memberships, a decision that some speculate may be linked to his political support. Nevertheless, Netflix continues to dominate the streaming industry.
The ongoing U.S. election campaign is also marked by the spread of misinformation targeting specific voter demographics.
Jeff Bezos’ Washington Post Takes a Neutral Stance
Since acquiring the Washington Post in 2013, Jeff Bezos has maintained a tradition where the newspaper endorses candidates during elections. This year, many expected the endorsement to favor Kamala Harris, but the Post announced it would refrain from making any election recommendations—both this year and in the future. According to reports, this decision came directly from Bezos himself. Critics argue that this move may be an attempt by Bezos to keep on good terms with Trump, should he emerge victorious. In response, Bezos has stated that endorsing candidates could contribute to societal division. As a result, the newspaper has seen at least 250,000 readers cancel their subscriptions. With Andy Jassy now at the helm of Amazon, it’s noteworthy that he has reportedly met with Trump in recent weeks.
This marks the first time in decades that the Washington Post has not issued an election endorsement, a decision that was made just before the U.S. elections.
Tech Giants and Their Connections to Trump
Reports suggest that top executives from major tech firms, including Tim Cook of Apple, have had discussions with Donald Trump. Google CEO Sundar Pichai is also mentioned in this context, with Trump claiming in a Spotify podcast that Pichai reached out to him about a campaign-related video, indicating it was a trending topic on Google searches.
In September, Trump threatened to take legal action against Google if he were re-elected, accusing the search engine of disseminating only negative articles about him, although he has yet to provide supporting evidence for this claim. Google has not confirmed whether the phone call between Trump and Pichai took place. However, it’s clear that large tech companies see the value in fostering relationships with both candidates, as the government plays a crucial role in awarding lucrative contracts and influencing regulatory policies.
With the potential for a Trump election victory, Trump Media & Technology stands as a key player in the landscape of Donald Trump’s stock market presence.
Mark Zuckerberg’s Neutral Position on the Election
Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook and head of Meta, has publicly declared his intention to remain neutral, stating that he does not support either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump. In a July interview with Bloomberg, he emphasized this stance. The remarks came shortly after an assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania, making Zuckerberg’s comments particularly noteworthy. Despite Meta’s liberal reputation in California, Zuckerberg’s acknowledgment of Trump’s resilience following the attack could be interpreted as admiration: “How Donald Trump got back up right after that – that was tough. As an American, it’s not easy to remain unemotional about it. I understand why many like him.”
This topic was covered by Inforadio on November 4, 2024, at 10:34 AM.