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| Clooneys to attend a VIP fundraiser for Clinton – and Sanders fans are outraged | Clooneys to attend a VIP fundraiser for Clinton – and Sanders fans are outraged |
| (1 day later) | |
| Related: George Clooney interview: ‘Donald Trump is a xenophobic fascist’ | Related: George Clooney interview: ‘Donald Trump is a xenophobic fascist’ |
| The Silicon Valley investor hosting George and Amal Clooney at his home this week for a Hillary Clinton fundraiser said he’s unfazed by a protest planned by as many as 1,500 Bernie Sanders supporters with pots and pans at his gate. | The Silicon Valley investor hosting George and Amal Clooney at his home this week for a Hillary Clinton fundraiser said he’s unfazed by a protest planned by as many as 1,500 Bernie Sanders supporters with pots and pans at his gate. |
| Shervin Pishevar, best known as a major investor in Uber, said he “welcomed” the protest against the VIP fundraiser, which will take place at his hilltop San Francisco home and cost upwards of $30,000 for a seat (and selfie) with the Democratic frontrunner. | Shervin Pishevar, best known as a major investor in Uber, said he “welcomed” the protest against the VIP fundraiser, which will take place at his hilltop San Francisco home and cost upwards of $30,000 for a seat (and selfie) with the Democratic frontrunner. |
| The protest was a sign of Democratic freedom in the US, he said, and drew attention to what he described as his own humble upbringing. | The protest was a sign of Democratic freedom in the US, he said, and drew attention to what he described as his own humble upbringing. |
| “Only in America would an Iranian-born immigrant son of a taxi driver and maid trying to help elect our first woman president be protested at his home,” Pishevar told the Guardian. “I welcome nonviolent protests as an exercise of our great democracy.” | |
| Pishevar, co-founder of the Hyperloop, a still conceptual high-speed transportation system that involves tubes and pressurized capsules, is opening his home and bringing in the star couple to encourage Silicon Valley to back the former secretary of state. Tickets start at $33,400 to attend and go up to $353,400 to get a roundtable with the Clooneys and Clinton. Pishevar is undeterred by the fact that Clinton once promised to crack down on the ride-hailing startup that’s made his fortune. | Pishevar, co-founder of the Hyperloop, a still conceptual high-speed transportation system that involves tubes and pressurized capsules, is opening his home and bringing in the star couple to encourage Silicon Valley to back the former secretary of state. Tickets start at $33,400 to attend and go up to $353,400 to get a roundtable with the Clooneys and Clinton. Pishevar is undeterred by the fact that Clinton once promised to crack down on the ride-hailing startup that’s made his fortune. |
| “Hillary is one of the most qualified presidential candidates in American history,” Pishevar said in his only interview about the forthcoming event that will feature the Clooneys, tech investors and entrepreneurs. “Our nation will be in good hands under a president Hillary Rodham Clinton administration.” | “Hillary is one of the most qualified presidential candidates in American history,” Pishevar said in his only interview about the forthcoming event that will feature the Clooneys, tech investors and entrepreneurs. “Our nation will be in good hands under a president Hillary Rodham Clinton administration.” |
| Politicians and Silicon Valley founders are still only just beginning to understand how important they are to each other, Pishevar said: “Silicon Valley is the engine for creativity today and obviously ridiculous amounts of wealth and with that comes a responsibility.” | Politicians and Silicon Valley founders are still only just beginning to understand how important they are to each other, Pishevar said: “Silicon Valley is the engine for creativity today and obviously ridiculous amounts of wealth and with that comes a responsibility.” |
| It’s that wealth, as perceived by supporters of Sanders, which has spurred the protest on Friday. | It’s that wealth, as perceived by supporters of Sanders, which has spurred the protest on Friday. |
| Sanders supporters will be gathering with banners and pots and pans (“to make some noise”). More than 1,500 people have said they’re interested, with around 400 pledging to attend. | Sanders supporters will be gathering with banners and pots and pans (“to make some noise”). More than 1,500 people have said they’re interested, with around 400 pledging to attend. |
| “Let the people of San Francisco gather and march through the main streets of Nob Hill to protest this event and to show Hillary Clinton that we don’t accept this kind of corruption,” the protest invitation reads. “Imagine, for example, how far $30,000 could go to help the homelessness problem in San Francisco. This corruption-fest is not just undemocratic, it is immoral and obscene!” | “Let the people of San Francisco gather and march through the main streets of Nob Hill to protest this event and to show Hillary Clinton that we don’t accept this kind of corruption,” the protest invitation reads. “Imagine, for example, how far $30,000 could go to help the homelessness problem in San Francisco. This corruption-fest is not just undemocratic, it is immoral and obscene!” |
| This is a divided time in a deeply divided city, and Sanders’ populist message has struck a chord. San Francisco usually coalesces behind one candidate – and California rarely matters in a primary. This year, though, the stakes are high and the divisions are wide. Sanders has raised twice as much from the tech world as Clinton since late 2015 – $3.2m from tech industry donors, compared to Clinton’s $1.5m. | This is a divided time in a deeply divided city, and Sanders’ populist message has struck a chord. San Francisco usually coalesces behind one candidate – and California rarely matters in a primary. This year, though, the stakes are high and the divisions are wide. Sanders has raised twice as much from the tech world as Clinton since late 2015 – $3.2m from tech industry donors, compared to Clinton’s $1.5m. |
| Silicon Valley’s fundraising brass is stuck in a hard place this year, with no candidate quite aligned to their interests. There was a flurry of excitement across town for former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg, who has since said he is not running. | Silicon Valley’s fundraising brass is stuck in a hard place this year, with no candidate quite aligned to their interests. There was a flurry of excitement across town for former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg, who has since said he is not running. |
| Clinton – who once asked an aide to print out the entire Washington Post website and questions the very foundation of the so-called sharing economy that is the star of this tech boom – is not a natural candidate for tech leaders. She promised to “crack down on bosses who exploit employees by misclassifying them as contractors”, as some argue Uber does. | Clinton – who once asked an aide to print out the entire Washington Post website and questions the very foundation of the so-called sharing economy that is the star of this tech boom – is not a natural candidate for tech leaders. She promised to “crack down on bosses who exploit employees by misclassifying them as contractors”, as some argue Uber does. |
| “The traditional hierarchy here who would normally be putting together fundraisers by now, they’re in chaos,” said Paul Holland, a tech investor with Foundation Capital who’s been organizing a political discussion salon series. | “The traditional hierarchy here who would normally be putting together fundraisers by now, they’re in chaos,” said Paul Holland, a tech investor with Foundation Capital who’s been organizing a political discussion salon series. |
| “Most people who’ve started tech companies are interested but maybe a little confused by this presidential election,” said Matt Mahan, the founder of Brigade, a social network for political action (or, as he calls it, Tinder for Politics). “I’m not seeing a huge groundswell or organizing around the presidential to be honest with you,” he said. “Part of our theory is that democracy just hasn’t scaled well.” | “Most people who’ve started tech companies are interested but maybe a little confused by this presidential election,” said Matt Mahan, the founder of Brigade, a social network for political action (or, as he calls it, Tinder for Politics). “I’m not seeing a huge groundswell or organizing around the presidential to be honest with you,” he said. “Part of our theory is that democracy just hasn’t scaled well.” |
| This is a more chastened tone for Mahan who hosted a media-heavy event when Republican hopeful Rand Paul opened his Tech Hub office last May. | This is a more chastened tone for Mahan who hosted a media-heavy event when Republican hopeful Rand Paul opened his Tech Hub office last May. |
| The chaos among donors shows in the campaigns. Clinton’s Silicon Valley fundraising push started with a stumble. One of her first big tech fundraising events was at Theranos, a startup whose innovative blood testing solution has been exposed as mostly fraudulent. | The chaos among donors shows in the campaigns. Clinton’s Silicon Valley fundraising push started with a stumble. One of her first big tech fundraising events was at Theranos, a startup whose innovative blood testing solution has been exposed as mostly fraudulent. |
| The public alignment with Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was bewildering to the tech press and seemed out of sync to the Silicon Valley community. | The public alignment with Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was bewildering to the tech press and seemed out of sync to the Silicon Valley community. |
| Pishevar, who raised $692,610 for Obama’s reelection campaign, was born in Iran and says he’s more politically engaged because of it. | Pishevar, who raised $692,610 for Obama’s reelection campaign, was born in Iran and says he’s more politically engaged because of it. |
| “I was forced to be political because I had bombs falling on me as a child in Tehran,” he said. “I remember vividly a moment where me and my mom are stuck in a doorway while bombs are dropping. We finally escaped to America, and I recently found these drawings I did as a child, and they were these drawings of DC with planes and bombs and everything. My city changed but my mind was still there for years.” | “I was forced to be political because I had bombs falling on me as a child in Tehran,” he said. “I remember vividly a moment where me and my mom are stuck in a doorway while bombs are dropping. We finally escaped to America, and I recently found these drawings I did as a child, and they were these drawings of DC with planes and bombs and everything. My city changed but my mind was still there for years.” |
| Pishevar talk about Silicon Valley’s ever-bigger role on the national stage and the need to be involved in the political machine. After raising for Obama, Pishevar was appointed by the president to be on the J William Fulbright foreign scholarship board and frequently visits the White House. | Pishevar talk about Silicon Valley’s ever-bigger role on the national stage and the need to be involved in the political machine. After raising for Obama, Pishevar was appointed by the president to be on the J William Fulbright foreign scholarship board and frequently visits the White House. |
| “People in Silicon Valley are starting to realize politics is not a toy,” he said. | “People in Silicon Valley are starting to realize politics is not a toy,” he said. |
| Pishevar added he sees the technological boom that that has led to the rise of behemoths like Uber and Airbnb as the founding of a new America. | Pishevar added he sees the technological boom that that has led to the rise of behemoths like Uber and Airbnb as the founding of a new America. |
| “Right now everyone’s talking about Hamilton the musical. New York during the American Revolution had 25,000 people founding democracy, a moonshot to build a nation,” Pishevar said, using the phrase popular here for big ambitious ideas. “That’s now the role for Silicon Valley.” | “Right now everyone’s talking about Hamilton the musical. New York during the American Revolution had 25,000 people founding democracy, a moonshot to build a nation,” Pishevar said, using the phrase popular here for big ambitious ideas. “That’s now the role for Silicon Valley.” |
| Where there were once the founding fathers of democracy, there are now startup founders, he argued. | Where there were once the founding fathers of democracy, there are now startup founders, he argued. |
| “If Alexander Hamilton were coming from a little island today, would he go to New York City?” he said. “No, he would be arriving in Silicon Valley.” | “If Alexander Hamilton were coming from a little island today, would he go to New York City?” he said. “No, he would be arriving in Silicon Valley.” |