Vivek Ramaswamy, a multimillionaire biotech company founder and investor, said Tuesday that he is entering the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race.
The native of southwestern Ohio has criticized what he calls woke capitalism, including investment based on environmental, social and corporate-governance principles. Under ESG, individuals seek to invest in ways consistent with their own values and to benefit from growth in sectors such as renewable energy.
Ramaswamy, 37 years old, said he is launching a long-shot bid as the nation faces an identity crisis over what it stands for and where it needs to go. “If you ask people in my generation, really any generation, what does it mean to be an American today, you get a blank stare in response,” he said.
In an announcement video, Ramaswamy said the “woke left preys on that vacuum” and tells Americans that their race, gender and sexual orientation “govern who you are, what you can achieve and what you are allowed to think.”
Ramaswamy is the author of “Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam.” He is co-founder of Strive Asset Management, which launched last year with backing from the billionaire investor Peter Thiel and calls on companies to focus on excellence over politics.
An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.
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