Overview: One of the founders of LinkedIn, Allen Blue is among Silicon Valley’s many Democrat-friendly donors. Blue has given to liberals his whole life and launched a cyber security group to help Democrats on the campaign trail keep their data safe from hackers. His other donations focus mostly on anti-poverty and economic opportunity programs.
Location: Los Angeles, California
Total Donated (2016-2020): $1,660,758
Top Recipients: DigiDems, Hillary Victory Fund, DCCC
Key Issues: Cyber Security, Anti-Poverty
Largest Donation to Date: $213,000 to the Biden Victory Fund
Profile: Allen Blue actually didn’t start his career in tech; he started in theatre as a set designer in the Bay Area. All the while, though, Blue worked as a computer programmer, coding little games in his spare time. So when a theatre friend of Blue’s connected him with Reid Hoffman, Blue was ready for his next step: The two would launch LinkedIn in 2002. Blue still works for the company even as he’s pursued other ventures, now serving as LinkedIn’s product strategist. He also served on the U.S. Commerce Department’s Data Advisory Council during President Barack Obama’s second term and serves on the boards of Change.org, the online petition generator, and Hope Street Group, an anti-poverty nonprofit.
Blue’s biggest political project is DigiDems, which he founded and currently chairs. The organization aims to improve Democrats’ digital privacy by training cyber security experts that are then embedded in campaigns to beef up their systems—they offer services like running hack simulations to identify security weak points.
As a donor, Blue’s record is true to his name: He only gives to Democrats. In recent election cycles, Blue has spread his donations across a variety of congressional and gubernatorial candidates, and he’s been a steady donor to national party funds and liberal PACs. In 2016, Blue gave more than a half-million to Democrats across the board, including $266,800 to the Hillary Victory Fund. In the 2020 cycle, Blue increased his giving to roughly $1.1 million, with large checks going to Joe Biden-supporting PACs and his own DigiDems PAC.
Ideological Vibe: Solidly liberal. Blue has exclusively given to Democrats according to his donor records, and his top social issues cover the standard liberal focus areas. Donor records give few clues as to whether Blue prefers the more centrist or more progressive wing of the party, but his consistency indicates he’s willing to support Democrats in general.
Hits and Misses: Blue’s state-level giving data shows he contributes to a lot of losing campaigns, but he doesn’t make the same sized bets as some of his donor class peers.
Looking Forward: Blue hasn’t given statements to the press recently indicating any new political goals for the coming years, but expect him to continue his efforts in cybersecurity and helping Democratic Party candidates around the country.
Relationships: LinkedIn – Co-Founder; DigiDems – Chairman
Contact Information: N/A