Tech

Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz have reportedly told employees they're going to donate to Trump PACs

Marc Andreessen, left, and his longtime business partner, Ben Horowitz (right)
Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. AP Photo/Paul Sakuma
Read in app

Two of the biggest names in Silicon Valley are reportedly planning to throw cash behind groups supporting Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, who founded the venture-capital firm that bears both of their names, are preparing donations to political action committees, or PACs, that support Trump's latest bid for the White House, The Information reported on Tuesday.

The pair have shared their plans with employees at the firm, the report said. It would mark the first time that both men have expressed support for Trump.

The exact PACs that Andreessen and Horowitz plan to support and the exact amounts they plan to donate were unclear. Andreessen Horowitz did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider on the report.

Supporting Trump would mark a clear change from eight years ago for at least one of the men. In 2016, Andreessen told Bloomberg he planned to vote for Hillary Clinton instead of Trump in that year's presidential election.

When pressed about why, he responded, "Is that a serious question?" He cited her stances on issues including immigration and science.

Other major figures in the tech world have expressed support for Trump this summer.

Elon Musk endorsed Trump after Saturday's assassination attempt on the former president. Musk is also reportedly planning to donate $45 million each month to a pro-Trump PAC.

Read next

Screen Shot 2020 09 04 at 6.22.07 PM
Alex Bitter
Alex Bitter is a senior retail reporter covering the gig economy, food, and retail. His work focuses major gig delivery and ride-hailing apps, including Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, and Walmart's Spark. He is interested in everything from what it's like to work on the apps to the companies' business strategies.Some of his recent stories feature gig workers who have been deactivated on the apps, DoorDash hiring traditional employees to make deliveries, gig workers' use of bots, and gig work expanding into new professions, such as nursing.Alex has also written about Aldi's US expansionStarbucks' turnaround efforts, and the fallout from Kraft-Heinz's budget cutting. Convenience store chain Sheetz ended its "smile policy" after his reporting.Before joining Insider in September 2020, he wrote about consumer and retail companies for S&P Global Market Intelligence. He's a graduate of the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and grew up on the Big Island.Alex lives in the Washington, DC, area, where you can find him studying ancient coins or searching for Civil War artifacts with his metal detector in his free time.Got a tip? Reach out at abitter@jkmperu.com or via encrypted messaging app Signal at +1 (808) 854-4501.