Dear Entrepreneurs: Time to Get Back to Work
Trump’s victory is perhaps the most stunning upset in modern political history. And yes, a lot of my friends in the tech industry — the vast majority of them liberal — are speechless, dejected, or complete wrecks. I haven’t received so many depressing texts in my entire life.
I wish I could tell you I was surprised. I really, really do. But I’ve had the fear this would happen for a while:
I’m not re-posting this to say, “I told you so.” I’m re-posting this to emphasize that this election was always about the millions of people left behind by globalization, a rapidly changing economy, and a growing income gap.
Yes, there is a whole section of Trump’s base that is racist. And yes, sexism absolutely played a part in Hillary Clinton’s defeat. But blaming these factors misses one of the real lessons of the 2016 election: the business and political leaders of this country — the people living on the coasts and in cities — have failed to bring the rest of the country with them. With us.
Factory workers who, not too long ago, could proudly point to the cars and products they built have been left behind. Rural families that don’t relate to the Wall Street bankers or high-flying tech entrepreneurs have been left behind.
I’m from one of these small, rural towns. I’m not a liberal, and I’m not a conservative — I’m an independent with liberal, conservative, and libertarian tendencies. I understand their pain a little better than most, and I feel like I’ve let them down. The result of our ignorance is a deeply flawed candidate we can only hope is a better person in office than when he is running for office.
Now it’s time to get back to work. Getting angry at the people who voted for Trump won’t fix anything. Moping around won’t fix anything. Threatening to move won’t fix anything.
The only things that will fix what happened: creating new products that help people and lift people out of poverty. Taking the time to understand the concerns and emotions of our fellow Americans. Supporting the new administration when it proposes a good idea. Opposing the new administration when it proposes a bad one. Investing in universal basic income. Investing in innovation, education, and understanding.
This morning, I received an email from my lead investor, Phil Libin. It addressed the results of the 2016 election from Lisbon, Portugal. The last paragraph is the one that resonated the most with me:
“One thing that’s already obvious, as I move to the Web Summit venue, is that the entrepreneurs here are already past their zombie stage. They’re pitching their mad startups, as frenzied as ever, and not dwelling on the news. It feels pretty good after last night; I’ve never been more enthralled by a stupid pitch in my entire life. This is crazy, but not really. They don’t have time to mope.”
Let’s get back to work, everyone.
