Tech
Here’s Where Kamala Harris Stands on Big Tech, AI, and Cryptocurrencies
Down Angle Icon A downward-pointing angle icon. Some tech leaders were quick to voice their support for Vice President Kamala Harris. Jared Siskin/Getty Images; iStock; BI
- Vice President Kamala Harris appears set to secure the Democratic nomination for president.
- Harris is the former attorney general of California and has a long history in the technology sector.
- Here’s his take on AI, Big Tech, and cryptocurrencies.
My life is nice looks set to win the Democratic presidential nomination after Joe Biden withdrawn from the 2024 race Sunday.
The vice president got off to a flying start, collecting a record 81 million dollars AND secure a sufficient number of delegates to win the nomination within 24 hours of Biden withdrawing his reelection bid.
Harris is the former attorney general of California before becoming a senator in 2017 and has a long history of working with the tech sector.
Born in Oakland, she has high-profile roots and friends in the Bay Area. She is rumored to have dated the former Facebook chairman and investor Sean Parkerthe wedding of in 2013 and his brother-in-law, Tony WestHe is Uber’s legal representative.
While some prominent figures in Silicon Valley have called on techies to rally behind Trump and JD Vance, his former running mate in venture capital, others immediately sided with Harris.
“The tech community must unite to defeat Donald Trump and save our democracy by rallying behind Vice President @KamalaHarris as the Democratic nominee for president,” said Ron Conway, a Silicon Valley super angel investor. said on X.
“I’ve known Kamala for decades and she’s a fighter, a leader, and a champion of the tech ecosystem.”
Here’s Harris’ take on AI, Big Tech, and cryptocurrencies.
Allies of Big Tech
Harris has a reputation for being a pro-business politician.
He has close relationships with several influential figures in the Valley, including Works by Laurene Powellworth more than $11 billion. Steve Jobs’ widow could have a role in Harris’ campaign, The New York Times reported.
Laurene Powell Jobs is friends with Kamala Harris. REUTERS/Gus Ruelas
Harris has already been endorsed as a presidential candidate by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and former manager of Meta Dr. Sheryl Sandberg, who called her “the strongest candidate to lead our country forward.” Netflix executive chairman Reed Hastings also congratulated Harris in a post X Tuesday, adding: “Now is the time to win.”
Box CEO Aaron Levie he also told The Information Harris was expected to “capitalize” on some of the Biden administration’s missed opportunities to rally the tech industry behind Democrats.
Harris has also shown a willingness to take on influential tech CEOs. During her tenure as attorney general, she has addressed issues such as the distribution of explicit content on social media platforms, especially “revenge porn”.
A New Beginning for Cryptocurrencies?
Harris has yet to express a clear position on cryptocurrencies, but some in the Bay Area are hoping it could represent a fresh start for the industry.
The Biden administration has increased its scrutiny of the industry following the collapse of FTX in 2022. Meanwhile, with the support of pro-crypto running mate JD Vance, Trump has announced that he intends to be the first “president of cryptocurrency”.
Nigel Green, CEO of financial firm deVere Group, told Business Insider that Harris’s views “reflect a cautious approach” to the industry. “This regulatory clarity could bring more legitimacy to the industry, potentially attracting more institutional investors and widespread adoption.”
Green said he expects Harris to become more pro-cryptocurrency to effectively compete with Donald Trump, but in the meantime “cryptocurrency investors are likely to continue to favor Trump at this point.”
AI Security with Innovation
Harris has played an active role in the Biden administration’s approach to artificial intelligence.
As vice president, she was warned of the potential risks posed by artificial intelligence and hosted meetings with leaders at the forefront of advanced AI development.
Harris said previously She rejects the “false choice that suggests we can either protect the public or promote innovation.”
Despite this, some VCs, such as Marc Andreessen had expressed concern about the Biden administration would over-regulate artificial intelligence.
In 2023, Biden signed an executive order on “The Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence,” which established safety standards for AI researchers to follow. However, critics said the order provided little leverage to federal agencies, and Trump vowed to rescind it.