Business leaders who believe staying quiet about the Trump administration will protect their companies are making a dangerous miscalculation, says Reid Hoffman.
The LinkedIn cofounder and tech investor said in an episode of the “Rapid Response” podcast published Tuesday that he rejects the idea that executives can simply wait out political turbulence.
“The theory that if you just keep your mouth shut, the storm will blow over and it won’t be a problem — you should be disabused of that theory now,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman is a longtime Democratic donor and one of Silicon Valley’s most outspoken political voices. He has backed Democratic candidates and causes for years and has publicly clashed with pro-Trump business leaders, including the White House AI czar, David Sacks.
In 2024, Hoffman contributed $2 million to a super PAC that spearheaded a write-in campaign for President Joe Biden in New Hampshire.
Hoffman said fear of retaliation from the Trump administration has made many business leaders hesitant to speak publicly, but fear is exactly the wrong guide. Executives should speak out instead of rationalizing that “it’s the right thing for my business,” he added.
Hoffman framed public engagement as a responsibility that comes with wealth and power.
“Human beings first,” he said. “Humanity, society, right, you are members of both of those.”
“Anyone who’s wealthy in the society should be extremely grateful for being part of the society. You have responsibilities,” he added.
Hoffman said he is “regularly called out by the White House” and added that it should not be punitive for leaders to speak based on their knowledge and experience.
“Precisely when you feel fear, you should think about, is this a time for courage?” he said.
“We need to be speaking up, and we need to be figuring out how to solve our problems together,” he added.
Business leaders speak out about fatal immigration shooting
Hoffman’s comments come as some business and tech leaders have broken their silence over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis and the broader immigration crackdown under the Trump administration.
Pretti’s death — the second killing by federal officers within weeks — has drawn sharp public debate over federal enforcement tactics and accountability.
Some business and tech leaders reacted strongly. Google DeepMind’s chief scientist, Jeff Dean, wrote in response to a video of the shooting on X that “this is absolutely shameful.”
“Agents of a federal agency unnecessarily escalating, and then executing a defenseless citizen whose offense appears to be using his cellphone camera,” he wrote. “Every person, regardless of political affiliation, should be denouncing this.”
Others have joined in, including former Meta chief AI scientist, Yann LeCun. LeCun bluntly labelled the footage of the shooting “Murderers.”
A group of more than 60 Minnesota-based CEOs signed a letter on Sunday urging “de-escalation” and collaboration among state, local, and federal officials to “work together to find real solutions.”
Other CEOs have remained quiet on the issue. Business Insider’s Peter Kafka wrote Tuesday that business leaders have several reasons for staying silent, including concern that the Trump administration has made it clear it is willing to pressure or punish companies that don’t bend to its will.
