LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman has long been involved in politics, but his recent actions have drawn criticism from both parties.
Hoffman is a longtime Democratic donor, and this year has donated $7 million to a leading PAC backing Democrats, but he recently denounced Biden’s leader of the Federal Trade Commission, Lina Khan, who has been aggressive in her antitrust actions against big companies, including Microsoft, where Hoffman sits on the board of directors.
“Lina Khan is…a person who is not helping America,” Hoffman told CNN. “I would hope that Vice President Harris would replace her.”
As the November presidential election draws closer, tech titans are more actively participating in politics, mostly on the side of Republicans. The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, along with influential venture capitalists like Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen, has publicly backed Trump. Meanwhile, Harris replacing Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket has reenergized Democratic donors, especially on Wall Street.
But Hoffman’s recent comments about Khan were quickly rebuked by Democrats, especially progressives who accused the billionaire donor of meddling.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D.-Mass.) praised Khan and said she was doing an “excellent job” in a statement to CNN. Meanwhile, progressive Senator Bernie Sanders (I.-Vt.) called out Hoffman for his “arrogance” and said Khan was one of the best FTC chairs in a long time.
“Billionaires should not be telling candidates who to be keeping on or not,” Sanders told CNN. “This concerns me because Lina Khan is doing a great job and I would hope and expect that the VP, if she wins, keeps her on.”
Hoffman told CNN that he “certainly” has not pushed for Harris to replace her if elected, although the vice president herself has privately criticized Khan’s broad view of antitrust powers, the New York Times reported, citing an unnamed donor who spoke with her privately.
FTC spokesperson Douglas Farrar said Khan stands by her record.
“Chair Khan is honored to serve in the Biden Harris administration, where she has protected consumers, workers, and entrepreneurs from illegal conduct and corporate abuse,” Farrar said in a statement to Fortune.
A source close to Hoffman told Fortune that despite his comments about removing Khan, he supports Harris as the Democrats’ presumptive nominee.
“Of course Reid unequivocally supports Harris,” the source said. “His support doesn’t hinge on anything.”
Republican rage
On the other side of the aisle, Hoffman recently angered Republicans for comments made just before the attempted assassination of former President Trump. While speaking at the elite Sun Valley Conference in Idaho earlier this month, Hoffman butted heads with venture capitalist and PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel, according to media outlet Puck.
Thiel, who has backed former President Donald Trump, sarcastically thanked Hoffman for making Trump into a martyr by funding E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuit against the former president. Hoffman reportedly responded that he wished he had made Trump an “actual martyr.” Soon after, a gunman tried to assassinate Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and some on the right condemned Hoffman for his inopportune comments.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk—who, like Thiel, has backed Trump—called Hoffman out personally in a post on X following the assassination attempt.
“The Reid Hoffman’s of the world got their dearest wish…but then the martyr lived,” Musk wrote.
The LinkedIn cofounder was quick to clarify and apologize, saying in a statement that his words were taken out of context and that “there is no place for political violence in our society.”
