It's no secret: Silicon Valley feels disdain for newly elected U.S. president Donald Trump — so much so that leaders of the technology industry have openly called him a "disaster for innovation."
And innovation, along with reliance on sound immigration policies, is of course crucial to the tech sector.
Trump's Lack Of Vision For Silicon Valley
Trump's victory is seen as a blow to Silicon Valley now that a business tycoon, who lacks vision for the tech industry, will assume the presidency. It could be that Trump knows very little, or has nary a care, about the growth of business in Silicon Valley.
During the entire presidential campaign, Trump never provided a precise plan on how he would tackle tech policies. This lack of vision is coupled with Trump's penchant for criticizing titans of the tech industry and their practices.
Trump even went as far as asking consumers to boycott Apple over the company's refusal to collaborate with the FBI in accessing data from a suspect's iPhone and overriding the device's privacy protocols.
In stark contrast, his opponent Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has had a positive relationship with Silicon Valley. In June, she packed a detailed platform for the sector, which earned her not only high praise but also a steady stream of donations from employees across different tech companies.
Trump's advocacy for tighter trade limits and immigration has also alarmed Silicon Valley, which notably sources revenue and talent from around the world.
The biggest names in the sector — save for venture capitalist Peter Thiel and, indirectly, Oculus CEO Palmer Luckey — have either provided Trump scant support or shunned his presidential bid entirely.
Having donated $1.25 million to Trump's campaign, however, Thiel is now ecstatic over President-elect Trump.
Silicon Valley, Obama And Clinton
The tech industry boomed under President Barack Obama, with four of the world's top companies during the Obama years — Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google's parent Alphabet — all belonging to the tech sector.
Clinton's policy plans were similar to Obama's free market platform, which was also well received and heavily supported by the sector.
In fact, Alphabet enjoyed a close relationship with Obama. It would make sense then that the company would want continuity in leadership at the White House.
For his part, Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet, helped in the early stages of Clinton's campaign.
After Trump's Win, What's Next For Silicon Valley?
Now that Trump has been elected 45th U.S. president, debates on privacy and encryption could only likely intensify given his emphasis on homeland security.
Trump will also take office just as the tech sector appears on the cusp of disruptive innovations involving robots, artificial intelligence and self-driving cars. Many of which will raise new questions on the role of technology in our lives.
Billionaire investor Mark Cuban summed it up best.
"If his advisors end up being anti-technology, one of the greatest growth engines of the country could be diminished," he said, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. "In that case we could see emigration of talent, rather than immigration."
