Snapshot: One of the co-founders of LinkedIn, Blue makes steady contributions to liberals, mostly to the national organizations and campaigns that are common of top-level tech liberals.
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Giving Focus: Democratic Party power, Cyber Security
Top Recipients: DigiDems, Hillary Victory Fund, DCCC
Background: 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. 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. 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. Blue is also one of the earliest to make significant donations in the down-year, giving $36,500 gifts to the DCCC, DSCC, and DNC all in 2021.
Takeaways: Outside of his steady support of liberals, Blue doesn’t appear to have a specific strategy or policy goal with his giving. It’s hard to know what exactly motivates Blue’s giving from the outside looking in, but no doubt his contributions keep him in the loop with the party and apace with the donations of his liberal peers in the tech industry. BT readers with limited resources to donate will likely want a more targeted strategy than Blue’s, but can replicate his commitment to the party by becoming regular donors to favorite groups.