And I think there was, to a certain extent, CEO response was both advantageous to them politically at the time, but also, internally they had to respond to their employees sort of revolting over this. Until we see something similar, I don’t know that we’re going to get… Well, I don’t know we’re ever going to get Tim Cook saying…
Zoë Schiffer: I don’t think we’re ever going to get it. I think we’re in a really different moment. In fact, I think in some ways, just in terms of tech culture, the current moment we’re in is a reaction to that earlier moment in 2018.
I think in 2018, if you talk to tech leaders, they will say, “Look, we did the things that our employees wanted us to at the time. We gave them a mental health day every month. We made political statements. We tried to kind of signal that we were supportive in these different ways.”
And their perception was that employees only got more demanding, they’ll say, “We’re entitled,” behind closed doors, off record, off record. They didn’t feel like they got a lot from that moment. And so now they’re making a very different calculation to kind of say, “Look, we’re in a moment where Trump is extremely transactional. If you give something to Trump, you may actually get something in return.” That wasn’t true with Biden, it didn’t feel true with our own employees, and so they’re choosing.
Leah Feiger: I’m not even sure that was true with Trump 1.0 either. This is a different presidency, this is a different president, but all to say, everything that you guys are saying is absolutely right, but they’re still political. They’re still making these political choices.
I think can we talk about how Silicon Valley is already involving themselves in the midterms? This, to me, is we are in January, midterms are in November, get ready, guys. I’m going to be the worst.
Brian Barrett: No. No, Leah, no. I need more time. I need at least until Groundhog Day.
Leah Feiger: No, no, no.
Brian Barrett: At least until Groundhogs Day.
Leah Feiger: When everyone said goodbye to me for the holiday break in December, I was like, “See you in midterm year,” because I chose violence.
But these tech companies and Silicon Valley investors are still choosing politics. Even if they’re not doing the 2016, 2017, even 2020, they are making these decisions. Max Zeff wrote this excellent piece for us this week for WIRED about pro-AI super PACs already that are all in on the midterms.
Zoë Schiffer: Wait, so talk to me about that, Leah. Are they choosing issues and candidates that are specifically about tech, tech issues, tech policies, or is it a little more diffuse than that?
Leah Feiger: It’s interesting. I think we’re going to get closer to that point. We’re very much at the starting point here. And I am vaguely ill to say this, the starting point is still tens of millions of dollars. So there’s lots of cash going around.