Tech industry rallies behind Kamala Harris in show of collective support

A group of some 1,200 technology workers vowed to support Kamala Harris's presidential bid, part of an effort to demonstrate wide industry support in Silicon Valley for Democrats outside its most vocal investor class.

Tech4Kamala plans to release the signatories of its letter in support of Harris later Thursday night, according to Bloomberg. A letter labelled her an "archetypical innovator," a "champion of technology" who "worked to expand access to STEM education, promote entrepreneurship and close the digital equity gap."

Although those who signed on did so in their personal capacity, not as representatives of their employers, they work for a number of large tech companies, including Apple, Meta Platforms, and Salesforce Inc. Freelancers, founders, VCs, and people NFT working in technology-adjacent fields like law and real estate appear on the list of names.

"We have an incredible opportunity to mobilise our community of over 7 million tech workers to show that our industry is not just about a handful of billionaires, but about the collective power of tech professionals," said Shannon Nash, one of the organisers of the letter.

Nash is a chief financial officer at a drone company. Other organisers include communications executive Edda Collins Coleman, entrepreneur Julia Collins and human relations executive Felicia Mayo.

The letter comes as a group of more than 700 venture capitalists and investors announced their own letter in support of Harris, while another set of VCs threw their weight behind former President Donald Trump. Although the industry has traditionally tilted left, a vocal set of conservatives this election cycle in Silicon Valley — including Elon Musk, investor David Sacks, and Sequoia Partner Shaun Maguire — have cut checks on Harris's opponent.

The groups Tech4Kamala and VCs for Kamala will join forces to hold a mixer for Harris in Chicago on Aug. 21, organisers said.