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Silicon Valley is divided on whether California should secede from the US in a 'Calexit'

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BusinessInsider.com 

Steve Jennings/Getty Images

The Silicon Valley elite has taken to social media to express its thoughts on "Calexit," a fringe political movement that aims to establish California as an independent country.

Most techies seem opposed to a Brexit-style California exit, though one tech tycoon, Shervin Pishevar, has loudly voiced his support.

A secessionist group out of California "hit it big" on Election Day 2016, according to a spokesperson in a statement, when Donald Trump won the race to the White House. The Yes California Independence Campaign aims to hold a referendum in 2018 that, if passed, would bring California one step closer to becoming an independent nation.

The group assembled long before Trump's surprising victory, but is gaining new followers on Facebook and Twitter as California's reliably-blue voters come out in protest of the president-elect. Full disclosure: A state has not seceded from the union since the 1860s, and those 11 southern states rejoined after the American Civil War. A Calexit is still incredibly unlikely, and we have no idea what the impact of California seceding from the union might have.

Still, the movement as a whole won its first major backer on election night when Pishevar, a well-known angel investor and cofounder of Hyperloop One, said on Twitter that he would bankroll a campaign to make California its own nation if Trump won. In an interview with CNBC earlier this week, Pishevar described the effort as "the most patriotic thing I can do."

It looks like Pishevar is now giving Yes California some competition. On November 9th, a new Twitter account called New California cropped up. Its bio lists Pishevar as founder. A tweet clarifies that the group is separate from Yes California.

More Silicon Valley innovators are hopping on the bandwagon, at least on Twitter, in the wake of a Trump presidency.

Marc Hemeon, a former Googler and founder of Design Inc., showed his support in a tweet.

Dave Morin offered his assistance in a tweet to Pishevar, saying, "I was literally just going to tweet this. I'm in and will partner with you on it." He has since deleted the tweet.

Other Silicon Valley tech executives want to distance themselves from Calexit. John Lilly, a general partner at top venture firm Greylock, reminded his followers on Twitter that secessionists make up a tiny portion of the valley. Yes California has fewer than 30,000 subscribers on Facebook.

Brit Morin, CEO of online DIY and e-commerce site Brit + Co, offered a suggestion for who should become president of an independent California.

Here's what else Twitter had to say:

NOW WATCH: People in California are calling for a 'Calexit' after Trump’s victory