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- Paul Graham urged moderate voters to vote for Kamala Harris, citing character over policy.
- Graham, a Y Combinator cofounder, contrasted Harris with former president Donald Trump.
- Leaders like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have shown varied approaches to navigating the election.
Veteran investor Paul Graham wrote an open letter saying undecided moderate voters should cast their ballot for Kamala Harris.
On Tuesday, the Y Combinator cofounder and self-proclaimed moderate posted a statement on X where he laid out his reasons.
Graham said Harris is “a typical politician,” and referred to Donald Trump as “far worse.” He wrote that his voting choice isn’t because he prefers one party’s policies over the other’s.
“The reason I’m voting for Harris is that this election is about character,” Graham said in the letter.
His comments come amid heightened discussion about the role of tech leaders in the election. Business figures have taken varied personal approaches when it comes to presidential endorsements and campaign contributions, but the Washington Post’s recent decision not to endorse a particular candidate has thrust its owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, into the political spotlight in the weeks leading up to the election, and raised questions about the extent of billionaires’ involvement in politics.
Bezos hasn’t publicly endorsed either candidate. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also made moves that indicate a desire to seem nonpartisan in this election cycle.
Others like Tesla CEO Elon Musk have been vocal about which candidate they support, with Musk campaigning for Trump.
Graham joins billionaires Melinda French Gates and Mark Cuban in his support of the Democratic candidate.
If you haven’t decided yet who to vote for, here’s why I think you should vote for Harris. pic.twitter.com/ebBMbs1c7r
— Paul Graham (@paulg) October 29, 2024
Graham, Trump, and Harris didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Trump “seems to be completely without shame,” Graham said. “The worst thing he did, in my opinion, was when he tried to remain in power after he lost the 2020 election.”
Graham is credited with coining the term “founder mode,” which has grown in popularity as a leadership style that involves to being a more hands-on boss rather than delegating tasks.
Graham cofounded famed startup accelerator Y Combinator in 2005, which has been an incubator for companies like Dropbox, Airbnb, and Reddit.