Silicon Valley Turns on Ro Khanna

The gloves are coming off. Some of the same people who helped Ro Khanna get elected are now organizing to take him down.

Archived tweet

Some friends of mine who are very upset at Ro Khanna are organizing. When 96% of your campaign funds come out of district, it's obvious that your loyalties start to lie outside of your district too. But that's why representative democracy exists. Vote. https://t.co/hUpXfHELi7 https://t.co/XFDFDvA9gu https://t.co/Z6emQoVdEJ [Quoting @garrytan]: Congressman Ro Khanna is demanding a federal unrealized gains tax and mass seizure of post-tax assets at the FEDERAL level. The wealth taxes in Europe made people poorer, and that's why so few remain! They've jumped to destroying prosperity not just in CA, but all of America. https://t.co/0OZJTMgXoi

Garry Tan @garrytan January 26, 2026

The 96% stat is damning. When nearly all your money comes from outside the district you’re supposed to represent, your priorities become pretty clear. Khanna isn’t working for Silicon Valley anymore—he’s auditioning for a national progressive base.

From Ally to Enemy

The new campaign against Khanna is being driven by former supporters who feel burned:

This isn’t abstract policy disagreement. Khanna is pushing a federal unrealized gains tax—the same wealth tax model that failed catastrophically in Europe and is now driving a mass exodus from California.

The Stakes for the Bay Area

The numbers are staggering. Private polling shows 80-90% of affected billionaires have already left California in 2025 or plan to leave in 2026. That’s $2-2.5 trillion in assets walking out the door—and roughly $20 billion in annual state revenue.

Vinod Khosla didn’t mince words, calling Khanna a “commie comrade” and warning that half of the top wealth has already fled. Max Levchin, PayPal co-founder, warned that taxing unrealized gains will “decimate California’s future tax base” by hitting early employees who have paper wealth but no cash.

And now Khanna wants to take this disaster national.

Representative Democracy Works Both Ways

Here’s the thing about representative democracy: it cuts both ways. If your representative stops representing you, you get to do something about it.

If you’re a former Khanna supporter who’s had enough of watching him chase a presidential campaign while pushing policies that will gut the Bay Area tech ecosystem, there’s a petition organizing former supporters to make their voices heard.

This is how democracy is supposed to work. Vote.

Follow @garrytan for more.