Silicon Valley all-in for Hillary

Silicon Valley, the hub of the US tech industry, is traditionally a Democratic political stronghold.

But that has perhaps never more been more true than in this election year, with a presidential contest featuring a Republican nominee seen here as more interested in returning to the past than building the future.

It is no understatement to say Donald Trump is unpopular among California’s tech titans.

Along with overwhelmingly donating their dollars to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, many are openly campaigning for Trump’s defeat.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Twitter co-founder Ev Williams and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales were among more than 100 people who recently signed an open letter from the tech industry taking a stand against the real estate tycoon.

“We have listened to Donald Trump over the past year and we have concluded: Trump would be a disaster for innovation,” the letter read.

“His vision stands against the open exchange of ideas, free movement of people, and productive engagement with the outside world that is critical to our economy.”

Trump has railed against immigrants, proposed “shutting down” part of the internet as a security move, criticized Apple for making its products abroad and accused online retail giant Amazon of “getting away with murder, tax-wise.”

Geoffrey Skelley at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics said the tech sector is also fearful that Trump could start a trade war that would hurt firms with global ambitions.

Instead of focusing on the future and technology, Trump appears to his detractors to be bent on resurrecting manufacturing jobs from a bygone era.

“Trump is pretty anathema to the things that Silicon Valley wants,” said Melinda Jackson, an associate professor of political science at San Jose State University. “He seems to be backwardlooking -- to make things like they were before,” Jackson told AFP.