America : Indian-American billionaire Vinod Khosla and Tesla CEO Elon Musk clashed over Donald Trump’s presidential bid after President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 race, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. Khosla, an OpenAI investor and Democratic donor, pushed for an "open convention" to nominate a more moderate candidate, proposing Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as better choices than Harris. He argued for a president who isn't extreme in any direction.

Khosla tweeted, “Time to have an open convention and get a more moderate candidate who can easily beat @realDonaldTrump. @GovWhitmer and @GovernorShapiro would be a great thing for America not held hostage between MAGA extremists and DEI extremism. Unique opportunity for a better moderate path.

Musk, who recently endorsed Trump, urged Khosla to support Trump and his running mate, JD Vance. “Come on, Vinod. Trump/Vance LFG!!” he tweeted. Khosla rejected Musk’s suggestion, citing Trump's personal values and policies. He tweeted back, “Hard for me to support someone with no values, lies, cheats, rapes, demeans women, hates immigrants like me. He may cut my taxes or reduce some regulation but that is no reason to accept depravity in his personal values.”

Musk argued that Trump does not hate Khosla and that his administration would promote meritocracy and individual freedoms, contrasting it with the current state of the Democratic Party. He tweeted, “He doesn’t hate you. In fact, I think he likes you. Meet him and find out for yourself. It’s way worse in politics, which is a blood sport.”

Khosla acknowledged the need for meritocracy and individual freedoms but raised concerns about Trump's climate policies and potential impact on American leadership. He replied, “Agree on meritocratic and promote individual freedoms. But abandon climate and 'drill baby drill'? Be MAGA and abandon NATO and American leadership and moral authority?”

Khosla also questioned Musk’s willingness to overlook Trump’s actions on January 6. Musk did not respond to this query. Khosla, a co-founder of Sun Microsystems and venture capitalist, hosted a fundraiser for Biden in May and previously endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016. While he hasn't endorsed Harris, he advocates for an "open convention" and ranked choice voting to reflect the people's will.