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Silicon Valley Investors Call For California To Secede From the US After Trump Win (theguardian.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: As Donald Trump's shock election victory reverberated around Silicon Valley late on Tuesday night, some high-profile technologists were already calling for California to secede from the United States. The broader west coast is a stronghold for the Democrats, and significantly more politically progressive and racially diverse than large swathes of central U.S. California is also the biggest economy in the U.S. and the sixth largest in the world with a gross state product of $2.496 trillion for 2015, according to the IMF. The campaign for independence -- variously dubbed Calexit, Califrexit and Caleavefornia -- has been regarded as a fringe movement. But support was revitalized by influential Uber investor and Hyperloop co-founder Shervin Pishevar, in a series of tweets announcing his plans to fund a "legitimate campaign for California to become its own nation" -- posted even before the full results were in. A few hours later, Hillary Clinton conceded the election to Trump, and Pishevar told CNBC that he was serious about Calexit. "It's the most patriotic thing I can do," he said, adding that the resulting nation would be called New California. "We can re-enter the union after California becomes a nation. As the sixth largest economy in the world, the economic engine of the nation and provider of a large percentage of the federal budget, California carries a lot of weight," he said. Pishevar was supported by others in Silicon Valley. Angel investor Jason Calacanis said that California succession would be simple in the wake of both Brexit and a Trump win. Evan Low, a Democrat serving in the California state assembly, said that he'd support the introduction of a bill to start the independence process. The proposal illustrates the technology industry's frustration with Trump over his repeated criticisms of Silicon Valley companies. Trump has said in the past that he would make Apple build computers in the U.S. He also thinks Amazon CEO "Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post to exert political power and avoid paying taxes, and claimed that Mark Zuckerberg's push for specialist immigration would actually decrease opportunities for American women and minorities." In July, 145 technology leaders wrote in an open letter about how "Trump would be a disaster for innovation."

18 of 1,368 comments (clear)

  1. this is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is a little dramatic.

    1. Re:this is by amiga3D · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Reminds me of a 3 year old throwing a tantrum because they didn't get a toy they wanted in Walmart.

    2. Re:this is by jdunn14 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Pretty similar. Also similar to tantrums thrown by the other side 4 and 8 years ago and again 12 years ago on the dem side. There be drama queens everywhere. My favorite was probably anti-Obamacare threats to move to Canada. Someone didn't think that one through.

  2. Re: Typical by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's different when libtards do it. They're the right people doing it for the right reasons, racist!

  3. Re:Typical by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'll be these same people pointed and laughed when Texans said the same thing.

    Actually, most of them were in favor of Texas seceding.

    --
    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  4. It has to suck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It has to suck after you make all these of those "donations" and get nothing back in return.

  5. Then you should of voted for Bernie. by Nyder · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You pushed for Clinton, even though Sanders was a better candidate. What did you expect?

    --
    Be seeing you...
  6. They are worried about cheap H1B's vanishing by hsmith · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Trump would throw a wrench into their cheap labor and displacing jobs. Threatens their business models.

  7. Teargas being used in Oakland by Okian+Warrior · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And reports of teargas being used on protesters in Oakland!

    It's going to be a long night.

    (After weeks of being told to accept the election outcome, anything else is an attack on democracy. Sheesh!)

  8. Re:Wow by quenda · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Of course the whole US back then had a population less than California today.
    The working-age male population in the South was worse than decimated.

    It turns out that it is easier to secede from the Soviet Union than the United States. The Hotel California can never leave.

  9. Boo Hoo by Mr307 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    *RANT ON*
    Its getting tiring, this shrill end of the world, he/she said something bad so I have to cry now nonsense. I could say something coherent about words not hurting but i'm ranting so another time.

    And then, when I read an article like this all I can think about is 'them'(and if I wasn't ranting I would say all people who dont get their way, not just 1 side or another), saying 'BOO HOO, we didn't get our way so now we are going to kick down the sand castle and take all our toys'.

    Sound like a bunch of smug self righteous children, grow up.

    200+ years of history and not everyone got their way every time, sometimes you have to play the long game and put in the real work.
    *RANT OFF*

    That felt good, thanks for listening.

  10. Re:Typical by h33t+l4x0r · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Wait though, it's not "Californians" who are calling for secession, it's a handful of crybaby tech billionaires.

  11. Grow the fuck up you damned babies. by Lord+Kano · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yes, I get it. You don't like Trump. I don't like Trump either.

    There was a lot of bluster and bitching but Texas didn't really try to secede from the Union when Obama was elected or re-elected and they dislike Obama as much as you dislike Trump.

    Stop throwing a fucking tantrum and grow up.

    LK

    --
    "Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
  12. Re: calixit by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As another poster mentioned, it's been done with West Virginia, but I think California would have much bigger shit than the law to deal with if it split off:

    - Most of its essential resources come from neighboring states. Hell, Arizona alone (which Californian politicians often scoff at) provides California with 25% of its electricity. I'm curious how Silicon Valley would deal with that. Perhaps draw more power away from the more rural regions and charge them more money? Speak of which...

    - Most of the landmass of California is in fact very red. They'd probably be able to take the major cities with them, but I can pretty much guarantee that the majority of the residents outside of those areas wouldn't be on board with this. But what do we need all of those rednecks for right? Well, you need farmland and farmers to eat.

    This shit needs to just stop. Every god damn election there's this stupid talk about either going to Canada or seceding, and it's all a bunch of stupid bullshit, and I'm sick of it.

    Besides, Shervin Pishevar is a first generation Iranian immigrant. Coming over here and then just demanding that we split up the country just because he doesn't like its politics is a real asshole move, and it's exactly this kind of asshole attitude that got an asshole like Trump elected.

  13. Instead of all this, Hillary said we should by raymorris · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This secession talk is a wee bit childish. Here's what Hillary Clinton had to say this morning about a Trump presidency:

    "Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and a chance to lead."

    I hope her supporters take a cue from her and start behaving with some class and dignity.

    1. Re: Instead of all this, Hillary said we should by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This is as dumb as when people in Texas wanted to do the same thing when Obama got elected. You Democrat and Republican sycophants at exactly the same, you just don't realize it because you are too busy drinking the koolaid. You are perfect for each other.

  14. Re:Typical by TheDarkMaster · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This. And in my honest opinion, if the 1% are in panic then it's a good thing

    --
    Religion: The greatest weapon of mass destruction of all time
  15. Re: Wow by stealth_finger · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Fucking hell guys, no wonder racism and sexism is so rife over there. A lot of you guys seem to be most interested in figuring what group a person is and then using that alone to determine friend or foe. It's akin to two little kids in the park both shouting "no, you're the poopypants" That's how the rest of the world sees it. Fucking cut it out and grow up. For the good of all of us.

    --
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