How Silicon Valley has profited by aligning with MAGA

In this episode of Fresh Air, host Terry Gross interviews George Packer, a staff writer at The Atlantic, about his new article examining the growing alliance between Silicon Valley tech billionaires and the MAGA movement under President Donald Trump. Packer traces this shift from the tech industry's earlier liberal and libertarian leanings to its current alignment with right-wing populism, focusing on David Sachs—a venture capitalist, early PayPal executive, and co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology—as a central figure. Sachs, once critical of Trump after January 6, 2021, reversed course and became a vocal advocate for Trump, promoting a 'venture capital populist' ideology that frames tech elites as defenders of the working class against 'woke' corporate leadership and federal overreach. Packer details how this alliance was cemented at a $12 million fundraising dinner in San Francisco, leading to swift policy wins for the tech and crypto sectors, including pardons for crypto executives, the dismantling of crypto enforcement teams, and the passage of the Genius Act, which provides regulatory certainty for stablecoins. However, Packer warns that this cozy relationship is alienating parts of the MAGA base, especially over issues like immigration and AI regulation, and may threaten Trump’s political future. He also shares a personal story about a family of Afghan allies who were left stranded in Pakistan after Trump closed the door on Afghan resettlement, underscoring the human cost of this political realignment. The episode ends with a review of the new Netflix adaptation of Lord of the Flies, praised for its faithfulness to the source material and powerful performances.