Jacob Helberg

Last updated
Keith Rabois
​
(m. 2018)​
Jacob Helberg
Jacob Helberg Headshot.jpg
Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment
Nominee
Assuming office
TBD
Education George Washington University (BA)
New York University (MS)
OccupationTechnology advisor, writer

Jacob Helberg (born 1989/1990 [1] ) is an American writer and technology advisor. [2] [3] In 2025 he was nominated Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment by incoming president Donald Trump.

Contents

Helberg serves as a commissioner for the U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission, and senior advisor to Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir Technologies. [4] [5] [6] Helberg has commented extensively on US–China relations, and the national security implications of Chinese-developed web apps like TikTok. [7] [8] [9]

Personal life

He grew up in a Jewish family in Europe. [10] Helberg married American investor Keith Rabois in a 2018 ceremony officiated by Sam Altman. [11]

Helberg graduated from the NYU Law - NYU Tandon MS in Cybersecurity Risk & Strategy program in 2020. [12]

Political involvement

Helberg became a leading advocate for the 2024 passage of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which forced a sale or ban of TikTok. [13] [14] [15] [16] Helberg is the founder of the Hill and Valley Forum, a working group of American venture capitalists and lawmakers concerned about China's impact on the American technology industry. [5] [3]

Helberg is one of the top donors to Donald Trump's 2024 reelection campaign, donating $2 million in 2024. [17] [18] [19] Previously, Helberg primarily donated to Democratic candidates, including the Pete Buttigieg 2020 presidential campaign. [20] [21] He attributes his shift to the COVID-19 pandemic, technological concerns about China, and anti-Israel views among Democrats. [22] [23] [24]

On December 10, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced Helberg would be the under secretary of state for economic growth, energy, and the environment in his second term. [25]

Publications

In 2021, Simon & Schuster published a book by Helberg, The Wires of War: Technology and the Global Struggle for Power. [26] According to The Information, the book argues that "foreign adversaries are using technology to wage war against the U.S." [27]

Related Research Articles

Jeffrey Steven Yass is an American billionaire businessman. According to Forbes, Yass had a net worth of $27.6 billion in April 2024 which grew to $49.6 billion by September 2024 and is the richest man in Pennsylvania. He is a registered Libertarian who gives money to conservative super-PACs including Club for Growth Action and the Protect Freedom Political Action Committee. He and his wife Janine Yass are supporters of school choice, a cause to which they have donated tens of millions of dollars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Rabois</span> American technology executive and investor

Keith Rabois is an American technology executive and investor. He is a managing director at Khosla Ventures. He was an early-stage startup investor, and executive, at PayPal, LinkedIn, Slide, and Square. Rabois invested in Yelp and the Xoom Corporation prior to each company's initial public offering (IPO). For both investments he insisted on being a board of directors member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ro Khanna</span> American politician and lawyer (born 1976)

Rohit Khanna is an American politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. representative from California's 17th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated eight-term incumbent Democratic Representative Mike Honda in the general election on November 8, 2016, after first running for the same seat in 2014. Khanna also served as the deputy assistant secretary in the United States Department of Commerce under President Barack Obama from August 8, 2009, to August 2011. Khanna endorsed Bernie Sanders for president of the United States in 2016. In 2020, Khanna co-chaired the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Jackson (politician)</span> American politician and attorney (born 1982)

Jeffrey Neale Jackson is an American politician, attorney, and military officer who has served as the 52nd attorney general of North Carolina since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 14th congressional district from 2023 to 2024 and represented the 37th district in the North Carolina Senate from 2014 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Gallagher (American politician)</span> American politician (born 1984)

Michael John Gallagher is an American foreign policy advisor and Republican politician from Brown County, Wisconsin. He served four terms in the United States House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 8th congressional district from 2017 until his resignation in April 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ByteDance</span> Chinese Internet technology company

ByteDance Ltd. is a Chinese internet technology company headquartered in Haidian, Beijing and incorporated in the Cayman Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TikTok</span> Video-focused social media platform

TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin, is a short-form video-hosting service owned by Chinese internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration from three seconds to 60 minutes. It can be accessed through a mobile app or through its website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karla Jurvetson</span> American psychiatrist, philanthropist, and political organizer (born 1966)

Karla Jurvetson is an American physician, philanthropist, and major Democratic donor. She has particularly focused on supporting candidates who are women, people of color, and from underrepresented communities, and she is a prominent activist in the movement to protect voting rights and American democracy. Jurvetson is vice chair of EMILY's List, which supports Democratic pro-choice women and has more than five million members.

<i>U.S. WeChat Users Alliance v. Trump</i> Lawsuit between U.S. WeChat Users Alliance and President Donald J. Trump

U.S. WeChat Users Alliance (USWUA) v. Trump was a court case pending before the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The plaintiffs won a preliminary injunction on September 20, 2020, blocking the Trump administration's ban order against WeChat based on concerns raised about harm to First Amendment rights and the hardships imposed on a minority community using the app as a primary means of communication. The lawsuit was dismissed in July 2021, following the Biden Administration's rescission of the executive order.

<i>TikTok v. Trump</i> Lawsuit between TikTok and Donald Trump

TikTok v. Trump was a lawsuit before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia filed in September 2020 by TikTok as a challenge to President Donald Trump's executive order of August 6, 2020. The order prohibited the usage of TikTok in five stages, the first being the prohibition of downloading the application. On September 27, 2020, a preliminary injunction was issued by Judge Carl J. Nichols blocking enforcement of that executive order. The lawsuit, by then captioned TikTok v. Biden, was dismissed in July 2021, following the Biden Administration's rescission of the executive order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Censorship of TikTok</span> Restriction of access to TikTok by governments and organizations

Many countries have imposed past or ongoing restrictions on the short-form video-hosting service TikTok. Bans from government devices usually stem from national security concerns over potential access of data by the Chinese government. Other bans have cited children's well-being and offensive content such as pornography. There are also free speech concerns about TikTok ban.

There are reports of TikTok and Douyin censoring political content related to China and other countries as well as content from minority creators. TikTok says that its initial content moderation policies, many of which are no longer applicable, were aimed at reducing divisiveness and were not politically motivated.

In 2020, the United States government announced that it was considering banning the Chinese social media platform TikTok upon a request from Donald Trump, the president of the United States, who viewed the app as a national security threat. The result was that the parent company of TikTok, ByteDance—which initially planned on selling a small portion of TikTok to an American company—agreed to divest TikTok to prevent a ban in the United States and in other countries where restrictions are also being considered due to privacy concerns, which themselves are mostly related to its ownership by a firm based in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shou Zi Chew</span> Singaporean business executive (born 1983)

Shou Zi Chew is a Singaporean business executive who has been the chief executive officer (CEO) of TikTok, an online video platform owned by Chinese company ByteDance, since 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Restrictions on TikTok in the United States</span> Federal-government-imposed ban

The short-form video-hosting service TikTok has been under a de jure nationwide ban in the United States since January 19, 2025, due to the US government's concerns over potential user data collection and influence operations by the government of the People's Republic of China. The ban took effect after ByteDance, the China-based parent company of TikTok, refused to sell the service before the deadline of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. Prior to the ban, individual states, cities, universities, and government-affiliated devices had restricted TikTok.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RESTRICT Act</span> Proposed US legislation

The RESTRICT Act was a proposed law that was first introduced in the United States Senate on March 7, 2023. Introduced by Senator Mark Warner, the Act proposed that the Secretary of Commerce be given the power to review business transactions involving certain information and communications technologies products or services when they are connected to a "foreign adversary" of the United States, and pose an "undue and unacceptable risk" to the national security of the United States or its citizens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act</span> United States legislation

The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA) is an act of Congress that was signed into law on April 24, 2024, as part of Public Law 118-50. It would ban social networking services within 270 days if they are determined by the president of the United States and relevant provisions to be a "foreign adversary controlled application", with a possible extension of up to 90 days to be granted by the president; the definition covers websites and application software, including mobile apps. The act explicitly applies to ByteDance Ltd. and its subsidiaries—including TikTok—without the need for additional determination, with the company to become compliant by January 19, 2025. It ceases to be applicable if the foreign adversary controlled application is divested and no longer considered to be controlled by a foreign adversary of the United States.

TikTok, Inc. v. Garland, 604 U.S. ___ (2025), was a United States Supreme Court case brought by ByteDance Ltd. and TikTok on the constitutionality of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA) based on the Freedom of Speech Clause of the First Amendment, the Bill of Attainder Clause of Article One, Section Nine, and the Due Process Clause and Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment. The case was consolidated with Firebaugh v. Garland, a lawsuit filed by TikTok content creators against the law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hill and Valley Forum</span>

The Hill and Valley Forum is a consortium of American lawmakers and venture capitalists first convened in March 2023 to combat China's influence on the US technology industry. Founded by United States–China Economic and Security Review Commission member Jacob Helberg alongside venture capitalists Christian Garrett and Delian Asparahouv, the working group also includes Peter Thiel and Vinod Khosla. The forum's initial private dinner in Washington, D.C. was held in advance of congressional testimony by TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, and was attended by then Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr.

The Rockbridge Network is a conservative political advocacy group founded by JD Vance and Chris Buskirk.

References

  1. 1 2 https://nypost.com/2025/01/18/us-news/trump-is-tapping-members-of-the-lgbt-community-for-top-spots-in-administration/?utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=nypost&utm_medium=social
  2. ↑ Kang, Cecilia (2024-03-27). "A.I. Leaders Press Advantage With Congress as China Tensions Rise". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  3. 1 2 Dwoskin, Elizabeth; Harwell, Drew; Zakrzewski, Cat (2024-05-02). "The tech billionaires who helped ban TikTok want to write AI rules for Trump". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  4. ↑ "Jacob Helberg | U.S.- CHINA | ECONOMIC and SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION". www.uscc.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  5. 1 2 Goswami, Rohan (2024-04-11). "Vinod Khosla and Palantir's Jacob Helberg call on Senate to ban TikTok: It's 'a weapon of war'". CNBC. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  6. ↑ Rosenbush, Belle Lin and Steven. "Congressional U.S.-China Commissioner Warns of Global Tech Supply Chain Risk". WSJ. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  7. ↑ Biddle, Sam (2024-03-21). "Tech Official Pushing TikTok Ban Could Reap Windfall From U.S.–China Cold War". The Intercept. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  8. ↑ Kang, Cecilia; Maheshwari, Sapna (2023-11-08). "Lawmakers Renew Calls to Ban TikTok After Accusations of Anti-Israel Content". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  9. ↑ Wells, Georgia. "WSJ News Exclusive | Silicon Valley and Capitol Hill Build an Anti-China Alliance". WSJ. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  10. ↑ Deutch, Gabby (May 17, 2024). "Top Silicon Valley donor cites anti-Israel left in his shift from Biden to Trump in 2024". Jewish Insider. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  11. ↑ Schleifer, Theodore (2019-05-07). "How Pete Buttigieg became the new toast of Silicon Valley's wealthiest donors". Vox. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  12. ↑ "Jacob Helberg". NYU Law and NYU Tandon. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  13. ↑ Huang, Stu Woo. "WSJ News Exclusive | How TikTok Was Blindsided by U.S. Bill That Could Ban It". WSJ. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  14. ↑ Maheshwari, Sapna; McCabe, David; Kang, Cecilia (2024-04-24). "'Thunder Run': Behind Lawmakers' Secretive Push to Pass the TikTok Bill". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  15. ↑ Perez, Andrew; Madarang, Charisma; Perez, Andrew (2024-03-22). "Lawmaker Who Led TikTok Ban Bill Joins Private Surveillance Firm: Report". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  16. ↑ Areddy, James T. "China Top Critic's Exit From Congress Threatens Anti-Beijing Momentum". WSJ. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  17. ↑ "Has Silicon Valley gone Maga?". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  18. ↑ Svetkey, Benjamin (2024-08-07). ""F*** These Trump-Loving Techies": Hollywood Takes on Silicon Valley in an Epic Presidential Brawl". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  19. ↑ "Silicon Valley elite warms to Donald Trump". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
  20. ↑ Deutch, Gabby (2024-05-17). "Top Silicon Valley donor cites anti-Israel left in his shift from Biden to Trump in 2024". Jewish Insider. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  21. ↑ Schleifer, Theodore (2019-05-07). "How Pete Buttigieg became the new toast of Silicon Valley's wealthiest donors". Vox. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  22. ↑ Schleifer, Theodore (May 8, 2024). "The Silicon Valley Megadonor Olympics". Puck.
  23. ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/14/trump-donors-tech-jacob-helberg/
  24. ↑ Deutch, Gabby (May 17, 2024). "Top Silicon Valley donor cites anti-Israel left in his shift from Biden to Trump in 2024". Jewish Insider.
  25. ↑ Bazail-Eimil, Eric (10 December 2024). "Trump picks China hawk to be top State Department economic policy official". Politico . Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  26. ↑ Allen-Ebrahimian, Bethany (12 October 2021). "Book: The hidden U.S.-China technology war". Axios. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  27. ↑ MacColl, Margaux (21 June 2024). "Trump's Young Man in Silicon Valley". The Information. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.