Liberal and anti-establishment: An exploration of the political ideologies of American tech workers

Abstract

The tech industry profoundly impacts our lives and has gained great economic and political influence. Yet, we know little about the people inside tech firms, whose actions and decisions shape technological progress and its impact on society. What is of particular relevance is their opinions and beliefs about the proper order of society and the societal role of tech firms – that is to say, their political ideologies. The few existing studies on this topic mainly concentrate on tech leaders. Our study shifts attention to the workers who develop the technology. Numerous works highlight their influence on the affordances of technology and decisions taken by their firms. Our quantitative analysis of campaign contributions shows that American tech workers exhibit a unique combination of left-wing (liberal) and anti-establishment attitudes. Moreover, we expose a substantial ideological divide between tech workers and their leaders. We discuss these findings in relation to the development of new technologies, employee activism, and tech workers as a distinct class fraction.