In Silicon Valley, Where Trump Made Inroads, Democrats Are Now Invigorated

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In recent weeks, many Democrats in Silicon Valley had kept uncharacteristically quiet as prominent technology leaders — including Elon Musk and the investors Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz — endorsed Donald J. Trump for president. Even though Democrats had long been a dominant force in Silicon Valley, some were unenthusiastic about supporting President Biden, who was unpopular in the tech industry. They wanted to see if Mr. Biden could change the narrative around his struggling campaign. And those who were vocal in their support — such as the tech investor Reid Hoffman — faced attacks. But that reluctance to speak up changed when Mr. Biden announced on Sunday that he would drop out of the presidential race, paving the way for a new Democratic ticket. Across the tech industry, the floodgates immediately reopened. “People are fired up,” said Nihal Mehta, an investor at Eniac Ventures, a New York venture capital firm, pointing to an outpouring of excitement online and in group chats around the industry.