While the tech industry has recently taken credit for taking progressive stances on key social issues, a new survey shows that the political views of Silicon Valley’s most influential players are not as clear-cut as they may appear—with many showing hostility to the rights of workers and and taking a dim view of government’s oversight role.
While wealthy tech executives have loudly condemned racism and showed strong support for issues like marriage equality, universal healthcare, and the at-risk Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, researchers have found those in the top levels of the industry also harbor strong anti-regulation and anti-union sentiments.
In the first comprehensive study of political views in the increasingly powerful industry, Stanford University researchers compared the political opinions of more than 600 wealthy technologists to those of Democratic and Republican donors and voters.
Seventy-four percent of the tech executives said they would like to see labor unions’ influence decrease, while only 33 percent of Democratic voters and 18 percent of donors agreed with this—”making technology entrepreneurs most similar to extremely anti-union Republican donors” on the issue of labor.
Tech leaders also reported hostility toward government regulation of business and products including drones, self-driving cars, and tech companies. “They are also much more likely to believe that government regulation of business does more harm than good,” said Stanford’s report, noting that 70 percent of tech entrepreneurs say the government should not regulate Uber as it does taxis—a clear anti-worker position.
The study’s authors say their findings “add nuance to our understanding of how rising income inequality will impact American politics.” As socially liberal tech entrepreneurs become wealthier, the Democratic Party is sure to take notice, with tech firms gaining influence by way of ever-larger campaign contributions.
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