YC and Other US AI Startups Jointly Oppose Restrictions on Chinese Open-Weight AI Models Like Kimi, Qwen

According to Politico, nearly 200 Silicon Valley companies, including Proton, Y Combinator, and others, wrote to the Trump administration opposing restrictions on U.S. companies' access to Chinese open-weight AI models. The letter was initiated by the newly formed "Small Tech Association," with recipients including Trump, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Michael Kratsios.