Donald Trump, if elected US President, will be disaster for innovation: Tech experts

WASHINGTON: Standing against Donald Trump's "divisive candidacy", over 140 leaders, including several Indian-Americans, in technology sector today said that the real estate tycoon if elected as the US president would be a "disaster" for innovation.

"We have listened to Donald Trump over the past year and we have concluded: Trump would be a disaster for innovation," over 140 leaders said in an open letter to Trump.

"His vision stands against the open exchange of ideas, free movement of people and productive engagement with the outside world that is critical to our economy and that provide the foundation for innovation and growth," the letter said.

Among the prominent Indian-Americans who have signed the letter are Vinod Khosla, founder, Khosla Ventures; and co-founder, SUN Microsystems; Aneesh Chopra, President, NavHealth; and former US CTO, Sujay Jaswa, Former CFO, Dropbox and Niti Bashambu, Chief Analytics Officer, IAC Applications.

Of the firm believe that progressive immigration policies help US attract and retain some of the brightest minds on earth, the letter said 40 per cent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children.

"Donald Trump, meanwhile, traffics in ethnic and racial stereotypes, repeatedly insults women, and is openly hostile to immigration," it said .

He has promised a wall, mass deportations, and profiling," it said.

According to the tech leaders, Trump proposes "shutting down" parts of the Internet as a security strategy demonstrating both poor judgment and ignorance about how technology works.

"His penchant to censor extends to revoking press credentials and threatening to punish media platforms that criticise him," they alleged.

"Donald Trump articulates few policies beyond erratic and contradictory pronouncements. His reckless disregard for our legal and political institutions threatens to upend what attracts companies to start and scale in America. He risks distorting markets, reducing exports, and slowing job creation," the letter said.

"We stand against Donald Trump's divisive candidacy and want a candidate who embraces the ideals that built America's technology industry: freedom of expression, openness to newcomers, equality of opportunity , public investments in research and infrastructure, and respect for the rule of law.

"We embrace an optimistic vision for a more inclusive country, where American innovation continues to fuel opportunity, prosperity and leadership," they said.