Remarkably, that seemed to be the knee-jerk reaction of at least some of Silicon Valley\u2019s elite in the wake of Donald Trump becoming president-elect on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
“I am announcing and funding a legitimate campaign for California to become its own nation,\u201d wrote Shervin Pishevar, a major investor in companies like Uber, AirBnB and Slack.<\/p>\n
“I’m in and will partner with you on it,\u201d replied Dave Morin, another major tech investor.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been agreed, the new promised land should be called New California.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
“It’s the most patriotic thing we can do,\u201d Mr Pishevar said.<\/p>\n
The proposal – one that, let\u2019s face it, is faintly ridiculous – represents peak panic in the wake of an election that has left much of Silicon Valley stunned and grasping for answers.<\/p>\n
\u2018Open door’<\/h2>\n
There are two bubbles in this part of the world – one is about money, the other is about its world view.<\/p>\n
On her disastrous night, Clinton got more votes in California than in any other part of the country. Here, the prospect of a Trump presidency wasn\u2019t just unlikely, it was unthinkable.<\/p>\n
Before the vote, openly supporting Mr Trump was seen by many as a crime worthy of losing your job.<\/p>\n
When it emerged that Facebook board member and major investor Peter Thiel was donating more than $1m to the Trump campaign, many called for him to be sacked.<\/p>\n
But just a few weeks on, Mr Thiel, a person who has made his vast fortune over long-term bets, proved to be the most astute man in the Valley once again.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has an awesomely difficult task, since it is long past time for us to face up to our country\u2019s problems,\u201d he said in a statement after Mr Trump\u2019s win.<\/p>\n
“We\u2019re going to need all hands on deck.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coming to terms<\/h2>\n
Mr Thiel remains an outlier here. What we\u2019ll likely see over the next few days is an industry and community slowly contemplating what life in Silicon Valley will mean under President Trump.<\/p>\n
Chris Sacca, an early investor in Twitter, said technology companies should be open to the new leader.<\/p>\n
“We in the tech community are willing to work with President-Elect Trump to help those Americans who need it most,\u201d he tweeted.<\/p>\n
“The door is open.<\/p>\n
“Very few people were as vocal in their opposition to Donald Trump as I was. But sitting on our hands for four years is a bad option.”<\/p>\n
As I type, we\u2019re yet to hear from the real key players: Apple, Facebook and Google.<\/p>\n
Their message will be instrumental in setting the collective mood here.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Twitter boss Jack Dorsey may be enjoying one silver lining: shares in the struggling network, still by far the best platform on a day like Tuesday, jumped 4% to its best pricing since October.<\/p>\n
___
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