Tech Billionaire John Doerr Funnels Millions to Democrats Through New ‘Dark Money’ Group– readsludge.com

John Doerr, the billionaire tech venture capitalist whose firm Kleiner Perkins is heavily invested in artificial intelligence, has set up a new “dark money” group that gave more than $10 million in grants last year to Democratic Party network groups, including $7.5 million to the nonprofits aligned with Senate and House Democratic leadership, according to a tax filing reviewed by Sludge.

The donations came as TechNet, the industry lobbying group where Doerr is a co-founder and was an executive council member for over 25 years, pushed Congress to pass a federal framework on AI of narrow, “risk-based” rules that would preempt state laws. In 2023, Doerr told a Senate AI forum convened by Sen. Chuck Schumer that proposals to change antitrust rules were chilling the venture capital industry by making it harder for startups to be acquired.