Thank goodness it’s over now. Thank goodness the most contentious election in American history is over. But Silicon Valley, mostly Hilary Clinton supporters, aren’t taking it so well. Let’s see how Silicon Valley’s handling the election.
First of all, there was disbelief. Aneesh Chopra is the Chief Technology Officer of the US government. But he tweeted, “Did I transport to Earth 2?” Also, venture capitalist Aileen Lee tweeted, “What is happening?” She did so in a more colorful way. I’m guessing she said that as the swing states turned red: Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania. Furthermore, there was fear. Wayne Sutton is a computer consultant and co-founder of Tech Inclusion. He tweeted he was scared as…
But some expressed hope.? Technology consultant Jeff Morris Jr. called Trump’s victory a wake up call for Silicon Valley. John Lilly serves on Code for Americs’a Board of Directors. He’s the former CEO of Mozilla Corp. Lilly encouraged his fellow techies to work hard and keep their heads up. While other Silicon Valley leads urge and preach defiance. I’ve read some celebrities say if Trump wins, they’re moving to Canada. But don’t tell that to Anil Dash. He tweeted, “…and not afraid of Donal Trump. We have to get to work.”
Finally, there’s Peter Thiel. He’s the co-founder of Pay Pal. Thiel? is an ally to pro wrestling legend Hulk Hogan. He’s virtually the only Silicon Valley Trump supporter. If they’re others, they don’t admit it. Thiel congratulated Trump on last night’s victory. In addition, he urges all Americans to come together and face America’s problems. I don’t agree with Thiel’s politics. But he has a point. All of us, including the technology community, need to come together now. We need to improve diversity in Silicon Valley. Let’s work together to bring tech jobs back to America. Most of all, if we’re going to compete in the world, make tech education a top priority. But let’s start while they’re in early elementary school. Don’t wait until they’re in high school or college. Give our young kids the tools to succeed and prosper now. What can Silicon Valley do to move forward?