ILLINOIS CONGRESSMAN PETER ROTH
C'S
ROS
ROTHCOM.
YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THEM.
PETER TIEL WAS ONE OF THE
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S MOST ARREST
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S MOST ARDEN
SUPPORTERS DURING THE
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN.
MARIA SAT DOWN WITH HIM FOR AN
INTERVIEW, STARTING WITH HIS
CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE
PRESIDENT.
>> MARIA: YOU SPENT ALMOST YOUR
ENTIRE LIFE IN SILICON VALLEY
AND YOU'VE DECIDED RECENTLY TO
LEAVE SILICON VALLEY, TAKE YOUR
INVESTMENT FIRM AS WELL, AND
OPEN UP SHOP IN LOS ANGELES.
WHY IS THIS?
WHAT CAUSED THIS?
>> WELL, IT'S A DECISION THAT
I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT FOR
QUITE SOME TIME.
ON THE TECHNOLOGY SIDE, I THINK
THAT SILICON VALLEY WILL
CONTINUE PRODUCING GREAT
COMPANIES, BUT PERHAPS NOT QUITE
AS MANY.
FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS YOU HAD
THIS STRANGE DYNAMIC WHERE
SILICON VALLEY WAS THE ONLY
PLACE FOR INNOVATION IN THE
UNITED STATES REALLY HAPPENED.
EVEN THOUGH THE INTERNET WAS
SUPPOSED TO ELIMINATE THE
TYRANNY OF PLACE, YOU SOME HOW
HAD ALL THE INTERNET COMPANIES
HAPPENING IN ONE PARTICULAR
PLACE.
I THINK MY JUDGMENT IS THAT THIS
WILL BE MUCH MORE DISTRIBUTED IN
THE FUTURE, MUCH MORE OUTSIDE OF
SILICON VALLEY.
THERE'S CERTAIN PLUSES AND
MINUSES TO SILICON VALLEY.
THE BIG ADVANTAGE IS THAT YOU
HAVE ALL THE TALENT, ALL THE
CAPITAL IN ONE PLACE AND SO YOU
HAVE THESE EXTRAORDINARY NETWORK
EFFECTS.
AND THAT'S BEEN A MOTOR OF
SILICON VALLEY FOR A LONG TIME.
BUT THERE'S A POINT WHERE
NETWORK EFFECTS GO VERY WRONG
AND WHERE SORT OF THE NETWORK
EFFECT, THE FACT THAT EVERYONE'S
SUPER CONNECTED, EVERYONE KNOWS
WHAT EVERYONE'S THINKING,
EVERYONE ENDS UP THINKING THE
SAME THING.
IT SHIFTS OVER INTO THE MADNESS
OF CROWDS.
AND I THINK THAT'S THAT SOME HOW
WE'VE GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE
PERHAPS THE NEGATIVES ARE
GREATER THAN THE POSITIVES.
>> MARIA: THERE ARE A LOT OF
IDEOLOGIES AND IT'S SORT OF ONE
IDEOLOGY.
YOU BACKEDDED PRESIDENT TRUMP IN
A BIG YOU WAY AND SILICON
VALLEY'S VERY LIBERAL.
DO YOU GET HEAT FOR THAT?
DID YOU GET HEAT FOR THAT?
>> OF COURSE, I GOT HEAT.
I DON'T WANT TO EXAGGERATE THE
IMPORTANCE.
I DON'T THINK IT'S OKAY TO BE IN
A PLACE WHERE MOST PEOPLE ARE
LIBERAL OR MOST PEOPLE HAVE
VIEWS DIFFERENT FROM MY OWN.
I DO THINK THERE'S SOMETHING
DIFFERENT WHEN IT GOES FROM A
LARGE MAJORITY HAVING ONE WAY TO
IT BEING ALMOST UNANIMOUS, WHERE
-- BECAUSE THINKS ARE NEVER
UNANIMOUS.
SO WHEN PEOPLE ARE UNANIMOUSLY
ON ONE SIDE, THAT TELLS YOU NOT
THAT THEY'VE ALL FIGURED OUT THE
TRUTH BUT THAT THEY'RE IN A
TOTALITARIAN PLACE, WHERE
THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE
DISSENTING VIEWS.
I THINK SILICON VALLEY SHIFTED
FROM BEING QUITE LIBERAL TO
BEING A ONE PARTY STATE.
THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINKS.
>> MARIA: WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT
THIS?
YOU LOOK AT UNIVERSITIES, THEY
PUSH BACK ON ANY CONSERVATIVE
THINKING.
YOU COULD PICK UP AND MOVE AND
TAKE YOUR BUSINESS WITH YOU.
BUT WHAT IS THE COUNTRY SUPPOSED
TO DO WHEN THERE'S A PUSHBACK OF
A DIVERSITY OF IDEAS?
>> I'VE OFTEN SAID THAT OUR
GREATEST POLITICAL PROBLEM IS
THE PROBLEM OF POLITICAL
CORRECTNESS.
PROPERLY UNDERSTOOD.
BECAUSE THAT'S HOW WE LIMIT THE
DEBATE, HOW WE AREN'T ALLOWED TO
CONSIDER ALL THE POSSIBILITIES
AND CERTAINLY I THINK THE
UNIVERSITIES SHARE A LOT OF
BLAME FOR THIS, THE EDUCATION
SYSTEM SHARES A LOT OF BLAME.
BUT I THINK THE PUSHBACK IS YOU
HAVE TO TRY TO PUSH BACK IN
EVERY SPECIFIC CONTEXT WHERE YOU
FIND IT AND SAY THE REAL DEBATE
IS NOT THIS SUPER NARROW DEBATE.
THERE'S A MUCH BROADER RANGE OF
POSSIBILITIES WE SHOULD BE
CONSIDERING.
>> MARIA: WHY DO YOU THINK L.A.
IS GOING TO BE ANY BETTER?
>> I THINK IT MIGHT BE JUST AS
BAD, IF I WAS TRYING TO BECOME A
HOLLYWOOD MOVIE STAR, NOT
PLANNING TO DO THAT.
>> MARIA: A THAT'S A GOOD POINT.
>> I THINK IT IS A MORE
DIVERSIFIED ECONOMY.
SO IT'S NOT DOMINATED BY JUST
ONE INDUSTRY.
YOU HAVE THE ENTERTAINMENT
INDUSTRY.
YOU ALSO HAVE FINANCE, YOU HAVE
TECH, YOU HAVE SORT OF A
WELL-DIVERSIFIED ECONOMIC BASE.
AND I THINK IT HAS MUCH LESS OF
THE SENSE OF EVERYONE BEING ON
TOP OF ONE ANOTHER, THINKING THE
SAME I WAY IN ONE PLACE.
IT'S A VERY SPREAD OUT CITY,
WHICH IN MANY WAYS IN A BAD
THING, FROM A TRAFFIC POINT OF
VIEW, THINGS LIKE THAT I THINK
IT MAKES IT MUCH LESS IDEA
IDEALOGICKY.
>> MARIA: IT MAY BE MORE
TOLERANT.
ARE YOU CONSIDERING CREATING A
CONSERVATIVE NETWORK, A
LIBERTARIAN NETWORK?
>> WE LOOKED AT DOING SOMETHING
IN THE MEDIA CONTENT SIDE FOR
SOME TIME.
THE BIG CHALLENGE IS FIGURING
OUT HOW TO GET THE BUSINESS
MODEL TO WORK AND THE SENSE IS
THAT CABLE WORKS BUT IT'S NOT
CLEAR THAT'S THE FUTURE.
THE FUTURE'S SOMETHING THAT'S
MORE INTERNET-CENTRIC BUT IT'S
STILL VERY UNCLEAR HOW ONE GETS
THE BUSINESS MODEL TO WORK FROM
THE CONTENT PRODUCTION SIDE.
AND SO I'VE SPOKEN TO A LOT OF
DIFFERENT PEOPLE BUT HAVEN'T
FIGURED OUT THAT PROBLEM.
>> MARIA: THERE'S A LOT OF
INFORMATION OUT THERE AND YET
THE PRESIDENT TERMED FAKE NEWS
AND BY THE WAY, A LOT OF
SITUATIONS HE WAS RIGHT.
WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON WHAT HAS
TAKEN PLACE AROUND FACEBOOK IN
TERMS OF THE RUSSIA INVOLVEMENT
IN THE ELECTION AND THE
ADVERTISEMENT AROUND IT?
>> I THINK -- LOOK, I'M ON THE
FACEBOOK BOARD.
I'M GOING TO DEFEND IT.
I HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WHAT I SAY
HERE.
I THINK FACEBOOK CLEARLY WOULD
HAVE LIKED TO GET AHEAD OF THIS
SOONER, PREFERABLY EVEN BEFORE
THE ELECTION, AND DONE SOMETHING
TO FIGURE OUT ABOUT HOW TO STOP
THE SORT OF INTERFERENCE.
ON THE OTHER HAND, THIS WAS NOT
-- I THINK THIS WAS A MISTAKE
THAT'S VERY UNDERSTANDABLE.
IT WAS NOT GENERALLY THOUGHT
THAT SOMETHING LIKE THIS WOULD
HAPPEN.
IF YOU REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED IN
THE ELECTION, IT WAS TRUMP IN
SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER OF 2016 WHO
SAID THE ELECTION WAS GOING TO
GET RIGGED AND IT WAS OBAMA AND