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    Brian Merchant: The tech elite's embrace of RFK Jr. is a grim omen for Silicon Valley's future

    by Brian Merchant, Los Angeles Times Jun 26, 2023 5 minutes
    U.S. attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attends the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights' Ripple Of Hope Awards at New York Hilton Midtown on Dec. 12, 2018, in New York.

    Silicon Valley's archetypal hero is the founder of humble beginnings — he who, through grit, sweat and genius, unleashes a world-changing idea from his garage. It's hard to imagine someone more antithetical to that formula than a scion of the most powerful political dynasty in the nation. Yet Robert F. Kennedy Jr., notorious anti-vaccine crusader and presidential candidate, is the toast of the town among the elite tech set.

    He's been championed by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, promoted on a live audio event hosted by Elon Musk, and embraced by the venture capitalist podcasters David Sacks and Chamath Palihapitiya, who not only endorsed Kennedy for the Democratic nomination, but also threw him a fundraiser. LimeWire creator Mark Gorton set up a super PAC with $500,000 that has been buying up newspaper ads for the candidate.

    So why would Silicon Valley, which ostensibly prides itself?

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