At a dinner hosted by the Hill & Valley Forum, power players from Washington and Silicon Valley gathered to discuss the US-China relationship, the tech industry and the surge of the TikTok app. Peter Thiel, the billionaire entrepreneur, compared the US-China ties to a codependent marriage and highlighted the risk posed by the Chinese-owned app. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr, venture capitalists and startup founders were among the guests.
The Hill & Valley Forum is a group backed by venture capital firms offering a platform to engage with policy makers. The aim of the gathering was to voice the China threat to lawmakers and entrepreneurs. At the cocktail hour, the guests discussed the tech industry and the urgency of the global situation.
During dinner, the attendees sampled a seared branzino with champagne and yuzu sauce and topped it off with a lemon meringue mousse tower. Thiel delivered a brief speech, warning the tech industry has relied too much on China. Brendan Carr, a frequent TikTok critic, was also present.
The event came as a prelude to TikTok Chief Executive Officer Shou Chew’s testimony on Capitol Hill. The app, which is owned by ByteDance Ltd., a large Chinese internet company, has been scrutinized for collecting user data and serving as a potential spy program for the Chinese government.
Thiel likened TikTok to homelessness, saying that it is an obvious problem, but that it should be solved in the correct way and not as an excuse not to address more important issues. Vinod Khosla, the founder of Khosla Ventures, continued in these sentiments, stressing the need to prioritize AI technology to ensure economic superiority over China.
The Hill & Valley Forum bridges the gap between policy makers and the tech industry to foster innovation. It provides a platform for entrepreneurs and investors to network, promote their products and support each other. It is evident that the forum plays an important role in developing technology and enabling change in Washington and Silicon Valley. Peter Thiel and Vinod Khosla’s venture capital firms have strongly supported the forum and its goals.
