Indian-origin billionaire Vinod Khosla launched a blistering attack on US lawmakers Bernie Sanders and Ro Khanna in a post on X, criticizing their warnings about artificial intelligence. “Bernie Sanders and Ro Khanna warn of the potential negative consequences of artificial intelligence,” Khosla wrote.
Fools like Ro Khanna and Bernie Sanders will stop all the good AI can do to protect their religion.
“Good intentions but bad outcomes are okay for these socialists/communists.” The post came after Sanders and Khanna spoke at a public discussion on artificial intelligence at Stanford University.The exchange followed a Stanford City Council meeting on February 20, 2026, where Sanders said that artificial intelligence is advancing faster than existing economic and political systems can accommodate.
He cast doubt on Silicon Valley’s claims that AI would naturally bring broad public benefits, saying similar assertions had been made during previous waves of technological change as wealth and power became more concentrated.
Sanders warned that rapid deployment of artificial intelligence, if left largely to market forces, could accelerate job losses and widen inequality.Khanna, who represents a district in Silicon Valley, outlined what he called a “democratic AI” framework, arguing that current AI development trends favor big tech companies.
He said AI systems should prioritize worker augmentation over replacement, and suggested that policy intervention was needed to prevent productivity gains from flowing primarily to companies. While Khanna pointed to potential uses of artificial intelligence in areas such as health care and clean energy, Khanna said such results were not guaranteed and criticized what he described as Silicon Valley’s tendency to resist external oversight.
Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and a prominent investor in AI-focused companies, has repeatedly argued that excessive caution and regulation can delay breakthroughs that improve living standards. In his post in response to the Stanford event, he framed lawmakers’ warnings as ideologically motivated, and said that slowing AI development could hinder progress in health care, medical research, drug discovery, education, clean energy, scientific innovation, and overall economic productivity, preventing the technology from achieving broader societal gains.This episode highlights growing tensions between parts of Silicon Valley and policymakers over how to manage artificial intelligence, with disagreements increasingly appearing in high-level public forums and on social media platforms.
