Will startups that share the vision in some way with these billionaires who are endorsing Trump gain preferential treatment as a means of securing funding rounds or difficult contracts?
Related is the rebranding of Palmer Luckey from a Trump supporter to a liberator of Ukraine, as well as the over all anti-Trump sentiment post-2016 election that was permeating through the start up world (SV in particular).
Edit: Thank you to the poster who brought this pg comment to light: https://x.com/paulg/status/1814805327210291551
Shame this question is flagged.
As for your question: I'm not privy to insider discussions but have been around YC a lot and can tell you I've never heard anything of this nature. From my perspective YC is focused on finding and funding good founders and that's it. Just speaking for myself here though.
I'm going to go so far as to say it us unamerican to mix business with politics to the level that you are suggesting here.
The rhetoric in the US about one against the other is quite ridiculous. Families are worried or even unable to celebrate Thanksgiving dinner because not everyone can agree on their political affiliations.
We should identify in our belief in something, not against, and a belief in a party or an individual is just asking for trouble.
Let me ask you this. If you had a life threatening illness, would you ask your doctor what party they are going to vote for? That's kinda what you're asking here. You're asking if YC is involved in who the founders they invest in are going to vote for. Ignoring the fact that many of the founders are in the US on a visa, and probably don't care one way or another.
Can't Palmer be both a Trump supporter and liberator of Ukraine?