As Donald Trump's presidential nominee campaign forges on, leaders in Silicon Valley fear what a Trump presidency would mean for innovation. The tenets of his campaign are not conducive to what they believe is the hallmark of American innovation and leadership, according to an open letter shared via Medium.
Nearly 150 inventors, entrepreneurs, engineers, investors, researchers and business leaders in the technology sector signed the letter denouncing Mr. Trump and his "divisive candidacy." Included among the leaders who signed the letter are Aneesh Chopra, president of NavHealth and former U.S. CTO; Sami Inkinen, founder and CEO of Virta Health; Othman Laraki, co-founder and president of Color Genomics; and Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple.
"We believe in an inclusive country that fosters opportunity, creativity and a level playing field. Donald Trump does not. He campaigns on anger, bigotry, fear of new ideas and new people, and a fundamental belief that America is weak and in decline," the letter reads.
It continues, "We have listened to Donald Trump over the past year and we have concluded: Trump would be a disaster for innovation."
The tech leaders' letter says human talent is the foundation of innovation, and the diversity of the workforce is dependent upon ideas coming from individuals who come from all over the world, a stark contrast to Mr. Trump's anti-immigration and racial stereotyping.
Additionally, the leaders express concern with Mr. Trump's comments about shutting down parts of the internet as part of a security strategy, "demonstrating both poor judgment and ignorance about how technology works."
The leaders write government plays an important role in the technology economy, and Mr. Trump's "reckless regard for our legal and political institutions threatens to upend what attracts companies to start and scale in America."
"We stand against Donald Trump's divisive candidacy and want a candidate who embraces the ideals that built America's technology industry: freedom of expression, openness to newcomers, equality of opportunity, public investments in research and infrastructure, and respect for the rule of law," the leaders write.
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