Co-founders of LinkedIn, Zynga team to recharge Democrats
Pincus, Hoffman see ‘WTF’ as platform for political disruption
The minds behind LinkedIn and Zynga have a new target for disruption: American politics.
Co-founders Mark Pincus and Reid Hoffman unveiled Win the Future — also known as WTF — a political network aimed at helping “Americans organize around a common platform,” according to the project’s website.
“We need a modern people’s lobby that empowers all of us to choose our leaders and set our agenda,” Pincus wrote in a post explaining WTF’s philosophy. “Imagine voting for a President we’re truly excited about. Imagine a government that promotes capitalism and civil rights.” According to
Recode, the pair have contributed $500,000 to the project. In an interview with Recode, Pincus says he views WTF as a “new movement and force within the Democratic Party, which can act like its own virtual party.”
The project is pushing two campaigns, leaning on Twitter: one focused on lawmakers who don’t support removing President Trump from office and a second offering every American an engineering degree.
Other founders in WTF include former Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg and venture capitalist Fred Wilson.
Progressives are slamming the initiative, claiming it’s out of touch, The Huffington Post reports.
“I am not sure the creators of the lamest and the most annoying social media experiences are the exact people who should be rewiring the philosophical core of the Democratic Party as they say they want to,” Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, a group that advocates for disadvantaged populations, said to The Huffington Post.
Pincus responded on Twitter, saying political activists want them to stay out. “Literally saying we should join Republicans,” he tweeted.
Silicon Valley’s relationship with Trump has been awkward since last year’s presidential election, when many tech leaders spoke out against him.
Last month, CEOs from Apple, Microsoft and other companies attended the first meeting of Trump’s American Technology Council to discuss how technology can make the government more efficient.