In this article, we will take a look at the 12 most conservative tech companies.
The image of the United States as an essentially liberal society began to shift because of the New Deal introduced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Democratic government. This economic relief package was launched to recover from the Great Depression. The effects of this policy include the federal government’s increased role in the economy. This included regulating the private sector, expanding social welfare programs, and raising taxes on companies and the rich. As a result, this was steadfastly resisted by the Republican Party, backed by big business, the rich, and successful farmers.
Although the IT sector has historically skewed left, President Donald Trump’s views on immigration and trade, as well as his responses to the coronavirus outbreak and the widespread protests against police brutality, have exacerbated the ideological divide. In the 2020 elections, tech workers are supporting Democratic candidates in tight legislative contests, notably in the Senate, where the Republican majority is currently in jeopardy. They also enthusiastically support Joe Biden of the Democratic Party. The large gap in donations can be attributed, in part, to the fact that IT employees gave to a wide range of Democratic presidential candidates while Trump was almost completely unopposed.
Our Methodology
An extensive study of the political leanings of the different tech companies was utilized from six sources (1,2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) in order to find the 12 most conservative companies. When a country’s name appears on the list of a given source, the total score for that country will receive one point. Significant personalities from a company who identify as Republicans were also considered. After gathering this information, a ranking was developed to identify the 12 most conservative tech companies.
So without further ado, let’s now discuss our list of the 12 most conservative tech companies.
12 Most Conservative Tech Companies
12. QUALCOMM, Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM)
QUALCOMM, Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM), a multinational firm renowned for its expertise in wireless technologies, has garnered a reputation as the most politically conservative entity within the big tech industry, as seen by the notable proportion of employee contributions directed towards Republican candidates. However, it is noteworthy that political contributions made by employees of QUALCOMM, Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) remain evenly divided, with an equal distribution of 50% towards both the Democratic and Republican parties. Over half of Qualcomm’s money is going to Democrats this cycle.
This is due to co-founder Franklin Antonio’s more extensive checks to Republican groups for the 2020 election. Democratic Senators Mark Warner and Dick Durbin receive the most money, following Sanders and Biden. Franklin Antonio, an alumnus of UC San Diego and co-founder of QUALCOMM, Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM), has played a significant role in fostering the expansion of several technologies, including telephones, social media, and wearable medical equipment.
11. Paradata (Private)
Scott Slinker, CEO of Paradata, a technology executive who expressed support for Trump, employed the term “racist” to commend the real-estate mogul’s dedication to defending the interests of American workers. Donald Trump has successfully tapped into the frustration of middle-class voters who hold the belief that international trade agreements and immigration from nations such as Mexico have adverse effects on the job market and manufacturing sectors of the United States. The response from Slinker elicited predominantly laughter from the CNBC hosts, although the Silicon Valley entrepreneur, seemingly recognizing the implications of his statement, appended: “I trust that you will refrain from excluding that portion during the editing process.
10. Automate Ads (Private)
Andrew Torba, who described himself as “a conservative Republican Christian,” co-founded Automate Ads and Gab, a free speech-focused alternative to Twitter, according to TechCrunch. Consequently, Andrew Torba communicated with his user base to announce that the website intends to enhance its digital infrastructure. Upgrades are frequently observed within the technology sector; however, Torba’s rationale for the expansion of Gab’s data center was far from typical. He expressed his intention to enhance the technological infrastructure in order to safeguard a parallel Christian civilization on the internet for future generations. The aspiration he holds is one that strikes a chord with a substantial number of predominantly conservative internet users who frequent his website and similar platforms such as Natural News, Brighteon, and CloutHub. These online platforms are replicas of larger social media platforms, positioning themselves as sanctuaries for unrestricted expression in an online environment that has recently started to regulate conspiracy theorists, right-wing militias, white supremacists, and Christian nationalists, albeit belatedly, according to certain perspectives.
9. Siebel Systems (Private)
According to the leaked data which has subsequently been taken from the internet, Vice has revealed that a majority of the donations on the fundraising site were sourced from the United States. According to the leaked data, other prominent donors in the United States include Thomas Siebel, a software tycoon who has previously supported the Republican Party. It is stated that Siebel contributed $90,000 to the Freedom Convoy. Insider’s request for comment from Siebel went unanswered. Moreover, Tom Siebel, founder of Siebel Systems, donated $350,000 to election candidates between 2009 and 2014, primarily supporting independents and GOP candidates, with no donations to Democrats.
8. AOL Inc. (Private)
Tim Armstrong, AOL CEO, supports Republicans, causing issues with the Huffington Post, a left-leaning media property that claims Armstrong is a conservative individual. During a highly charged conference call, Tim Armstrong, the CEO of AOL, made an abrupt and uncomfortable decision to terminate the employment of the company’s creative director. The occurrence was recorded in an audio recording, whereby the Chief Executive Officer imitated the well-known retort made by Donald Trump during a boardroom interaction.
7. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Former Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) CEO and Republican Steve Ballmer has given significant financial support to Democratic politicians and causes, but he also backs other Republicans running for office. He has voiced opposition to President Trump’s travel ban and is in favor of increasing employment opportunities in the United States. However, in 2004, only 53% of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s employees contributed to Democratic candidates or causes.
6. Oculus Rift (Private)
Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus Rift, ran for president in 2016 and funded a pro-Trump group, Nimble America, which made mean jokes about Hillary Clinton despite calling himself a “Libertarian. Moreover, the creator of Oculus has been providing undisclosed funds to a gang of Reddit trolls who have been “shitposting” disparaging memes about Hillary Clinton in an effort to help elect Donald Trump. Luckey’s support for Trump may be unusual in the technology business, which has a tendency to support Democrats. However, his embrace of the shadowy side of Trump’s online army is the most concerning aspect of his political stances. We may be accustomed to extremely wealthy people paying money to the Republican Party in order to show their support for pro-business leaders, but the complete acceptance of “shitposting” and the prejudiced internet harassment that so frequently comes along with it is something altogether different.
5. eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)
There are a lot of Republicans on eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY). Two of them are Meg Whitman and Marc Andreessen. Whitman, a former Hewlett-Packard executive, ran for governor of California in 2010 but lost. She later chose Hillary Clinton over Trump. Whitman worked as a senior presidential campaign official for the Republican Mitt Romney in both the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, despite the fact that she voted for the Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in the presidential elections of 2016 and 2020, respectively.
Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape and eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY), previously supported Democrats but backed Mitt Romney in 2012. In 2012, Andreessen made various statements in support of Mitt Romney, who was running for president on the Republican ticket. Andreessen initially supported Republican candidate Carly Fiorina during the primary season of the 2016 election. However, after Fiorina withdrew from the race, Andreessen shifted his support to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, criticizing the immigration attitude taken by Republican nominee Donald Trump. Whitman remains a strong Republican.
4. Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL)
Michael Dell, who is notably known as the founder and CEO of Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL), has long supported Republicans, including in Texas. Michael Dell donated $2,000 to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), raising the total amount of his family’s contributions to federal campaigns to more than $920,000, with 99% of those contributions going to Republicans or organizations that lean Republican. Moreover, a donation of $250,000 was made by Michael Dell and his wife to the Republican National Committee. Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) maintains a robust presence in Silicon Valley, with affiliations with educational institutions and the establishment of a dedicated research facility in the region.
Photo by Its me Pravin on Unsplash
3. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)
At Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), there are a lot of Republicans. Paul Otellini and Brian Krzanich are two of them. Intel’s former CEO, Paul Otellini, has been known to support Republicans, including John McCain and Mitt Romney. Otellini has contributed $19,000 in support of the Republicans. Although the majority of that was donated to the National Republican Congressional Committee and Intel’s Political Action Committee, Otellini also made contributions to the election campaigns of Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Representative Jeff Flake of Arizona, Speaker John Boehner, and Heather Wilson, who is seeking the Senate seat in New Mexico. Otellini, a manager at Trident Capital Cybersecurity, has tried to work closely with the Obama White House despite criticizing Obama’s lack of job creation skills.
On the other hand, Brian Krzanich, Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)’s CEO since 2013, has chosen to work closely with Trump in the White House. Brian Krzanich was part of President Donald Trump’s American Manufacturing Council. However, the Chief Executive Officer of Intel announced later on that he would step down from his position on President Donald Trump’s American Manufacturing Council. Krzanich was the first leader in the technology industry to leave the group in the wake of the tragedy that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia. Krzanich stated in a blog post that he was dedicated to promoting US industry but disagreed with the government’s response to the violent rallies in Charlottesville, which resulted in the death of a woman on Saturday. Krzanich attacked people who are more interested in attacking critics than they were in creating progress, although he did not name the president by name in his criticism.
2. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (NYSE:HPE)
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (NYSE:HPE) has several Republicans, including Meg Whitman, Marc Andreessen, and Sarah Pompei. Whitman, a former executive at Hewlett-Packard and eBay, was a candidate for governor of California in the 2010 election and a member of the Republican Party. However, she was unsuccessful in her bid and lost to former governor Jerry Brown. She later chose Hillary Clinton over Trump.
Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape and director of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY), Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META), and Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (NYSE:HPE), supported Mitt Romney in 2012 despite previously supporting Democrats.
Sarah Pompei, a former Republican, worked as a senior relations manager for Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (NYSE:HPE) and now for Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT). Sarah Pompei, who works in communications, has previously held positions with Mitt Romney, Meg Whitman, and House Whip Kevin McCarthy. She is now working for Romney once more after working for McCarthy. Sarah Pompei, in an interview with the National Journal, said that she has never felt that her conservative opinions have been held against her.
Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.com
1. PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL)
PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) is notably not one of the liberal companies. Within the company, there exists a significant presence of individuals affiliated with the Republican Party. Peter Thiel, Scott Banister, Eric Jackson, and Keith Rabois are just a few of them. PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL)’s co-founder, billionaire Peter Thiel, has given nearly $5 million to various GOP politicians and PACs. Thiel is a supporter of conservative Republican ideology. He gives money to candidates and groups associated with both the Democrat and Republican parties. Thiel declared his support for Ron Paul’s presidential campaign in December 2007. Following Paul’s failure to win the nomination for the Republican Party, Thiel made a contribution to the John McCain campaign. Moreover, Thiel was a supporter of Meg Whitman’s campaign for governor of California in 2010, despite her failure to win the election. He gave the Whitman campaign the maximum amount of $25,900 that he was allowed to give.
Scott Banister, a wealthy tech investor, has supported Rand Paul and Ron Paul’s father. The marijuana rights activist Scott Banister followed Paul to various fundraisers and round tables across the city, traveling with the senator.
Erick Jackson, a former executive at PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL), is also the co-founder of CapLinked, a company whose primary mission is to connect technology firms with investors. He has spent decades advocating for conservative causes, and he is a prominent figure as a commentator on conservative issues on both radio and television.
Keith Rabois is a well-known technology entrepreneur, executive, and investor. He is most well-known for his executive roles at PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL), LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD), Slide, and Square, as well as his early-stage startup investments. He tweeted in response to Thiel’s speech at the conference the previous year that the “tech industry is primarily out of touch by being too far to the left.”
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Disclosure: None. 12 Most Conservative Tech Companies is originally published on Insider Monkey.
