Hard Fork
Hard Fork

Why the Tech Right Lost Big This Week

November 6, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Why the Tech Right Lost Big This Week

56% of voters said artificial intelligence and data centers were a "crucial or major factor" in their vote. 57% believed AI would do more to hurt society than help it. 76% opposed a data center in their community. These numbers, cited by Ezra Klein on Hard Fork, capture the central problem for the tech right in the midterms: the coalition of Trump-aligned Silicon Valley billionaires — Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, David Sacks, and others — hitched their political fortunes to a technology that voters actively dislike, and they lost badly.

The AI Politics Problem

The tech right's core political bet was that massive campaign spending and proximity to Trump could override public skepticism about AI. It did not work. Klein argued the issue runs deeper than messaging: "The basic sell on it is it might kill everyone. It probably will take your job. But if it doesn't do those things, you're gonna have cheaper energy. It's not a good description of a technology you want."

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:31) **The Tech Right's Big Loss** - The episode introduces the central question: how did Elon Musk and the tech right lose so badly in the midterms, and what does it mean for the future of AI and Silicon Valley politics?
  • 2 (02:36) **Ezra Klein: The Tech Right's Success Became Its Failure** - Klein argues the tech right's close association with Donald Trump tied them to unpopular policies, especially on AI, making them a liability.
  • 3 (04:14) **Is AI Dragging Down Trump, or Vice Versa?** - The panel debates whether AI has inherently bad politics or is being dragged down by its association with the tech right.
  • 4 (06:20) **Why the Tech Right Went All-In on Trump** - Aaron Griffith explains the motivations behind Silicon Valley's rightward shift, from deregulation to cultural edgelord appeal.
  • 5 (08:42) **Three Categories of Anti-Tech Sentiment** - The panel breaks down the "national scolding" into three distinct drivers: anti-AI, anti-data center, and anti-oligarchy sentiment.
  • 6 (09:26) **The Anti-AI Message in Victory Speeches** - The panel analyzes John Osoff's victory speech, which explicitly warned against the "titans of Silicon Valley" and the AI they are creating.
  • 7 (12:02) **The "Inevitability Thesis" and Its Political Failure** - The panel explores the tech right's belief that AI development is unstoppable, a view that politicians and voters are rejecting.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Ezra Klein Aaron Griffith

Show Notes

After watching the historic election results on Tuesday night, we sat down with Erin Griffith and Ezra Klein to make sense of what they mean for the tech industry. We talk about the role of anti-A.I. and anti-data-center sentiment, backlash against billionaires and whether Silicon Valley is experiencing a vibe shift away from the Tech Right. Finally, Max sits down with the reporter Theodore Schleifer to rank midterm tech megadonors from first to worst. Who got the most bang for their buck?

Guests:

  • Erin Griffith, a technology reporter at The New York Times
  • Ezra Klein, a columnist and host of ‘The Ezra Klein Show’
  • Theodore Schleifer, a reporter for The New York Times covering billionaires and their impact on the world  

Additional Reading:

We want to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok.



 

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz

Hard Fork

More from this podcast

 Hard Fork →