LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman recently appeared on the Possible podcast where he said that the US risks straining its alliances, which could have consequences for American businesses, including the tech sector. Hoffman stated that a lack of diplomacy could give international competitors an advantage over US companies. He said: “One of the problems with the current general administration approach of ‘how to lose friends and alienate people’—the opposite of Dale Carnegie—is that that will create substantial problems for all American industry, including the tech industry”.
“I mean, obviously most of the actions, and most of the gestures, tend to be the—when you come over to Europe and say, it’s an America, not just America first, it’s an America-only kind of position, that obviously breaks alliances,” Hoffman said. “And gets people to think about like, ‘Well, who else should I potentially ally with?’”.
“And so having all these discussions with people about like, OK, what kind of technologists here say, ‘Well, I’d rather buy a BYD car than a Tesla,'” he said. “One is kind of saying, ‘Hey, I’m just trying to be a stable partner,’ and the other one’s saying, ‘You’re my enemy.'”
Not all Americans share my concerns: Reid Hoffman
Reid Hoffman who is estimated to have a net worth of $2.5 to $3 billion in 2024, was a Democratic Party donor and a vocal supporter of Kamala Harris during her campaign. He had, reportedly donated at least $10 million to her presidential campaign. During the podcast, he said he wants to assure investors that US businesses remain strong and that the country can still be a reliable partner.
“Part of what I’m trying to do here is persuade folks that the U.S. actually, in fact, can be a continuing stable partner, despite randomness of tariffs and things,” he said.
He added that not all Americans in the tech industry share his concerns.
“The business of America being business is still actually, in fact, something that we hold—a bunch of us Americans—hold dear,” Hoffman said. “And try to operate and try to say, ‘Hey, there’s still bridges we can build here.'”
