After Joe Biden dropped out of the race, Kamala Harris may want to come to be the new Democratic nominee probably. In his announcement, Biden supplied his “complete help and endorsement for Kamala to be our party’s nominee this year,” Harris said her “goal is to win and earn this nomination.” Still, it is unclear if she can be challenged by different Democratic politicians for the nomination, both at an open convention or via any other choice.
Kamala Harris Background
Should she be selected, Democrats might have a presidential nominee from the Bay Area—she was born in Oakland—with deep ties to the tech industry. She served as San Francisco’s district legal professional, after which California’s attorney became famous before being elected to the Senate in 2016.
Kamala Harris Support from the Tech Industry
Early supporters included VCs John Doerr and Ron Conway, while LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman quickly endorsed her as a presidential candidate. Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings has been more cautious and has called for an open convention.
Criticism from Industry Critics
Some industry critics have complained that she did not do enough as attorney general to limit tech giants’ power as they grew. But Harris has not hesitated to take on tech CEOs and call for more regulation; as a senator, she grilled them about misinformation on their platforms.
Stance on Tech Regulation
Harris was asked during her 2020 presidential run. When rival Elizabeth Warren called for Amazon, Google, and Facebook to be broken up. If she agreed, those companies would be broken up, too. She responded that they should instead be “regulated in a way that. We can ensure the American consumer can be certain that their privacy is not being compromised.”
Kamala Harris Position on AI Regulation
As vice president-elect last week, Harris spoke about regulating artificial intelligence. A press conference was held where President-elect Joe Biden announced the selection of his science team. They believe AI can help address economic inequity. But want it done in a way that does not harm Americans’ privacy or rights. Biden had issued an executive order calling for companies to set new standards around the development of AI. Harris said these “voluntary commitments are an initial step toward a safer. AI future with more to come because, as history has shown. There is no regulation and strong government oversight. Some technology companies prioritize profit over the well-being of their customers. The safety of our communities and the stability of our democracies.”
Industry Concerns About AI Regulation
Venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz recently pointed out concerns. The Biden Administration will “overregulate” AI as one reason they support Donald Trump.
Stance on TikTok
Another hot-button issue is a recent bill that would ban TikTok. Harris said that if its parent company, ByteDance, doesn’t sell it. We need to deal with the owner and have national security concerns about it. The owner of TikTok, but we have no intention of banning TikTok.”
