Nearly 200 Silicon Valley startups urge Trump not to block Chinese open-weight AI models

Startup founders urge Trump not to shut off Chinese open weight AI

Almost 200 Silicon Valley companies, including Proton and Y Combinator, sent a joint letter to the Trump administration opposing a ban on Chinese open-weight AI models. They argue that cutting off access to publicly available models from Moonshot AI, Alibaba, and others would cripple U.S. startups that build on them. The letter pushes for targeted safeguards instead of broad prohibitions. This is the first coordinated push by the startup community on one of the administration's most closely watched AI debates.

Why it matters: Nearly 200 Silicon Valley companies jointly opposing a ban on Chinese open-weight models marks the first industry backlash of this scale in AI export control debates. Politico exclusive, strong sourcing, high conflict. Score capped because only the letter action is known; poli...