More Silicon Valley News

From Politico California Playbook:

A NOTE ON TECH MIDTERM SPENDING — According to a recent Washington Post report , top executives at Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft donated relatively little to congressional campaigns during the 2018 midterm elections. But there's at least one notable outlier: Microsoft President Brad Smith gave over $100,000 in political contributions this past cycle. As POLITICO's Daniel Lippman reports, FEC records show that this cycle Smith gave $50,000 to the DCCC, $14,600 to the NRCC, $2,700 to New York Rep. Joe Crowley's failed reelection campaign, $5,400 to Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and another to his joint fundraising committee, $5,000 to the Democratic Party of Virginia, $5,400 to Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and $5,000 to Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.).

MORE FACEBOOK FRACAS: "Facebook and the Fires" by NYT's Kara Swisher: "The toxic smoke is a bleak backdrop and an apt metaphor for where Silicon Valley finds itself." Column.

-- "Scoop: The millionaire funding the campaign to break up Facebook" by Axios' David McCabe: "A Pennsylvania philanthropist and former hedge fund executive named David Magerman was the initial donor behind a high-profile campaign urging regulators to break up Facebook, he confirmed to Axios for the first time on Thursday." Story.

-- "A Top George Soros Aide Called For An Independent Investigation Of Facebook's Lobbying And PR" by BuzzFeed News' Tasneem Nashrulla: "A top aide to the billionaire liberal megadonor George Soros called for Facebook to conduct a thorough investigation of its lobbying and PR work following a New York Times report on Wednesday." Story.

SAUDI MONEY: "After Khashoggi charges, Silicon Valley shies away from debate on Saudi ties" by SFChronicle's Melia Russell:"Billions of dollars continue to flow into the tech sector from Saudi Arabia. What Silicon Valley remains short on are answers to the ethics of taking money from the kingdom, which has been linked to the killing of a prominent regime critic in the country's consulate in Istanbul last month." Story.

-- "Benioff on the big issues" by SFChronicle's Owen Thomas:Q&A with the Salesforce CEO