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How Democrats Drove Silicon Valley Into Trump’s Arms
Marc Andreessen explains the newest faction of conservatism.
Hosted by Ross Douthat
Ross Douthat is an Opinion columnist and the host of the ‘Interesting Times’ podcast.
How Democrats Drove Silicon Valley Into Trump’s Arms
Marc Andreessen explains the newest faction of conservatism.
Below is a lightly edited transcript of Ross Douthat’s conversation with Marc Andreessen. It has been condensed and edited for clarity. We recommend listening to it in its original form for the full effect. You can do so using the player above or on the NYT Audio App, Apple, Spotify,Amazon Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
Editors’ note: This episode originally aired on the “Matter of Opinion” podcast on Jan. 17, 2025.
Ross Douthat: I’m someone who follows politics primarily and Silicon Valley secondarily. And the alliance between the tech industry and the Democratic Party has always seemed like a solid fact of American politics. I could see the leaders of the tech industry souring on certain aspects of progressive politics, especially the parts that cast them as special villains. But I didn’t expect so many figures in Silicon Valley, starting with Elon Musk, to throw their support, money and social media clout behind Donald Trump in 2024.
My guest is one of those tech leaders, the venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. For decades he was, in his words, a “good” Democrat. But now he’s been spending time at Mar-a-Lago and advising on Trump’s transition.
Marc Andreessen, welcome.
Marc Andreessen: Thank you, Ross. It’s great to be here.
Douthat: It’s great to have you. You’re a co-founder of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, whose portfolio includes Airbnb and over 100 A.I. companies.
A long time ago, you co-founded Netscape, the web browser that first brought many of us to the internet in the 1990s. And — just as a political matter — you supported Barack Obama for president, you voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and then in 2024 you supported Donald Trump.
We’re going to talk about that evolution. But I wanted to start by going way back in time to the origins of your career, because you were present for the early days of the internet — not really the beginning of Silicon Valley itself but the beginning of Silicon Valley as a crucial influence in American life, I would say.
