There's also the entire argument that Thiel doesn't really support Donald Trump, and that this donation is more of a strategic move that is coherent with increasing Ted Cruz's chances of election in 2020. Cruz got as close to a public denouncement of Trump as possible, and he will probably need the support of many of his voters (who knows if they'll even remember, doubt it) to be able to secure a victory. Thiel could perhaps be the trump card necessary as support, as he double counts as both a gay man and someone who remained "loyal" to Trump. I think that Thiel's opinions on how the world should look are more in line with Cruz's, and he himself has called Cruz "very smart". I don't know a lot about politics or Peter Thiel, but to think that a former chess champion and fairly renowned silicon Valley figurehead legitimately supports Trump is a little outlandish. The odds of there being an ulterior motive are far greater than the opposite. Not to mention that he probably saw all the negative PR coming, as well as the resulting dissociations. He probably believes it was all worth it.
Shame on Y Combinator
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Re: Shame on Y Combinator
#22There's also the entire argument that Thiel doesn't really support Donald Trump, and that this donation is more of a strategic move that is coherent with increasing Ted Cruz's chances of election in 2020. Cruz got as close to a public denouncement of Trump as possible, and he will probably need the support of many of his voters (who knows if they'll even remember, doubt it) to be able to secure a victory. Thiel could…
He appeared on stage, and gave a speech in support of Trump at the GOP National Convention in Cleveland, back in July.
Re: Shame on Y Combinator
#23Re: Shame on Y Combinator
#24This is a tricky situation. While many universally agree Trump is dangerous in his opinions and viewpoints on many issues, you can't just severe ties with an investor because of their political affiliation. Thiel might be supporting a candidate with racist and bigotry views, but this is his choice. When it comes to business, you should never make things personal and I think worrying about someone's political affiliat…
By Altman's own argument, there's a line Thiel could cross that would make YC sever ties with him. All it would take is for Thiel to repeat some of the things Trump said. So having a YC partner fund hate speech is okay, as long as it's by proxy. This is a baffling stance.
There is a difference between having an opinion or stance on something and repeating racist, ignorant and bigotry statements from a candidate. As far as I know, Thiel has done nothing but make a donation, he isn't forcing his views on anyone at YC nor publicly parroting/endorsing things Trump is saying.
In this instance Thiel has done nothing more than make a donation to a political candidate many don't like.
Re: Shame on Y Combinator
#25LOL.. Whaaaaa... Perhaps, just perhaps, someone can see that while Trump isn't perfect, he's better than the absolute and obvious corruption of Hillary.
Shame on you Marco for choosing blatant corruption over idiocy.
Re: Shame on Y Combinator
#26Please, do the right thing, and don't take it down again.
https://www.reddit.com/r/startups/comments/582t9v/y_combinat...
Re: Shame on Y Combinator
#27I'm no Trumpist and no fan of Thiel, but I believe anyone can place their vote where-ever they want.
I may not agree with him but I would fight to the end for his right to vote for Trump if he wants.
Re: Shame on Y Combinator
#28I'm no Trumpist and no fan of Thiel, but I believe anyone can place their vote where-ever they want. I may not agree with him but I would fight to the end for his right to vote for Trump if he wants.
To be fair, OP doesn't take issue with who Thiel is voting for.
Re: Shame on Y Combinator
#29Just one quick comment, because these discussions always go there: This is not about Hillary. Whatever the family Clinton did or not did, it doesn't matter.
This is about someone who supports Donald Trump in a significant way, and the person Donald Trump and his potential negative impact on our society.
Re: Shame on Y Combinator
#30I wish that more smart people would not demonize either party and instead analyze and dissect each platform and weigh the potential benefits and consequences of them.
It is much more convincing to read actual facts about the platforms, and it's a lot more constructive.
With the brain power here, we might even be able to make constructive suggestions and possibly even influence either party's policies so that regardless of the outcome it works in everyone's favor.
If we can point out that some component of Hillary's plan or Trump's plan will surely lead to disaster in some way, that itself may have the political power to influence revision in a positive way, especially right now since both candidates are searching for weaknesses in each other's campaigns.
This is one of the most intelligent communities in the world, so let's be constructive.