Spencer Pratt rides Big Techs rightward wave as latest Silicon Valley titan opens wallet
Google co-founder Sergey Brin just became the latest high-profile member of the tech world to throw his financial support behind a Republican.Brin gave Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt a maximum donation of $1,800 on May 27, according to municipal campaign finance records.Other big names in tech making contributions to the mayoral hopeful include Palantir’s chief technology officer, SpaceX’s director of solar production, a communications executive at TikTok, the co-chairman and co-founder of Riot Games, Activision Blizzard former CEO and the Winklevoss twins.Pratt is a registered Republican running in Los Angeles’ nonpartisan mayoral race.The Google co-founder’s donation may be unsurprising to some, as recent reports indicate that he has somewhat soured on California Democrats over their push for an additional tax on billionaires.
Brin has also praised the Trump administration for its approach to artificial intelligence by thanking the president for "supporting our companies instead of fighting with them."JEANIE BUSS, SOFIA RICHIE'S HUSBAND AMONG BUSINESS TITANS REPORTEDLY BACKING SPENCER PRATT'S LA MAYORAL RACETV personality and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt visits Fox & Friends at Fox News Channel Studios in New York City on Jan.28.
(Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)The donations add a local front to a broader political realignment in tech, where some of the industry’s most recognizable names, beginning during the 2024 electoral cycle, grew more willing to back Republicans amid fights over taxes and artificial intelligence policy.Los Angeles' mayoral race has become a local flashpoint for that trend, with Brin and other prominent tech figures backing a conservative challenger to shake up governance in one of the nation’s most liberal cities.Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, who first gained notoriety for accusing Meta co-founder Mark Zuckerberg of stealing their intellectual property to create Facebook, have since pivoted to cryptoc...