Spanish Tech Mogul Varsavsky Backs Trump, Attacks Sánchez
Menéame owner Martín Varsavsky defends Trump on Antena 3, denounces 'woke culture' and criticizes PM Pedro Sánchez, marking a sharp ideological shift.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Varsavsky Defends Trump Live, Attacks Sánchez
Martín Varsavsky, founder of Jazztel, Ya.com and FON, and owner of Menéame, appeared on Antena 3 to voice what many business leaders think but rarely say during prime time: that Trump is better for business and that proge culture is fading. According to attendees, the show's host absorbed the challenge, while presenter Susanna Griso looked uncomfortable. Yet the entrepreneur, speaking louder than his co-panelists, continued his argument.
The pivotal moment wasn't a statistic or a chart, but a statement: "This is the end of proge culture." Varsavsky, born in Buenos Aires in 1960, now a Spanish citizen with past investments in the US, has been moving in this direction for months—first on social media, then on television. The owner of Menéame—a platform he acquired and, by his own admission, is trying to ensure "stops being a nest of communists and represents everyone"—has shifted from being labeled as proge to becoming an adversary of proge. This turn has a specific timeline and context: the Champions League final in Paris and the October 2023 attacks in Israel, according to various analyses.
From Jazztel to the Studio: Who is Martín Varsavsky?
Varsavsky is a telecommunications entrepreneur who founded eight companies, including Jazztel, Ya.com, FON, Goggo Network and Prelude Fertility. Argentine-born, of Jewish descent, naturalized Spanish, and formerly holding a US passport, his public profile has oscillated between visionary technologist and controversial investor. In Spain, he is remembered for providing free WiFi to the 15M movement (Indignados), a detail that haunts him at every appearance. He also faced backlash during the pandemic for advocating confinement for the unvaccinated, a stance that earned him enemies on both sides of the political spectrum.
His entry into Menéame's capital was his most disruptive move. The platform, a pioneer of social aggregators in Spanish, had been in decline for years. Varsavsky bought it and promised to rescue it from the "nest of communists" he claimed it had become. This phrase, used on social media, summarizes his transformation: from tech investor to cultural crusader. His appearance on Antena 3 merely confirmed this drift.
What Exactly Did He Say About Trump and Sánchez?
The intervention targeted two figures. First, Trump. Varsavsky defended the former US president before a studio audience that, according to witnesses, did not share his enthusiasm. Second, Pedro Sánchez. "A guy who spends all day with Hamas, with the enemies of the West," he said, as reported by news outlets. This blunt remark landed heavily in a format that typically tames its guests. It failed to do so here.
The entrepreneur was not improvising. He has spent months building a narrative: that the political pendulum has swung, that cultural right-wing forces are gaining ground, and that those who ignore this are left behind in business. His defense of Trump is not ideological in the classical sense; it is opportunistic—or so he claims. "I am an investor," he repeats. And as an investor, he bets on rising assets.
Varsavsky's Turn: From Proge to Anti-Proge Crusader
The conversation about Varsavsky has a clear before and after. Before: a tech entrepreneur with pogre social views, supporter of identity causes, and critic of the right. After: a convert who denounces proge culture, supports Trump, and attacks the Spanish government. What peine in between? Two episodes recur in analyses. First, the Champions League final in Paris, where Varsavsky allegedly received a reality check regarding the European political climate. Second, the October 2023 attacks in Israel, which reportedly aligned him firmly with hardline pro-Israel positions.
Some argue the shift is sincere: that Varsavsky saw what he didn't want to see and reacted. Others counter that his conversion coincides with a global change in wind. When Trump returns, when the cultural right gains in Europe, and when proge loses momentum in corporations, an investor with interests across multiple sectors has incentives to jump on the bandwagon. The question isn't whether he changed, but when the previous stance ceased to be profitable.
Menéame and the Business of Buying Declining Platforms
Menéame is the other front. Varsavsky bought the platform and promised to return it to centrality. "We are trying to make sure it stops being a nest of communists and represents everyone," he said. Beyond its bluntness, this phrase reveals a business thesis: that the aggregator lost value due to ideological bias and that there is a market for a broader version. The problem is that Menéame doesn't lose users due to its editorial line, but because of the rise of other networks and the migration of its community to unmoderated spaces. Buying a declining platform and blaming communism is a way to avoid looking at the numbers.
Parallels with other forums are inevitable. In Spain, political discussion spaces have experienced cross-assaults: first from the left, then from the right. The difference is that some moderate content and others don't. Moderation, whether liked or not, is what keeps a community afloat. Varsavsky knows this. That's why his discourse isn't about freedom of expression, but about audience reach.
Why It Matters When an Entrepreneur Says This on TV
Varsavsky's appearance on Antena 3 is not an isolated event. It signals that a segment of the Spanish business community has decided to come out politically. For years, the unwritten rule was to stay neutral: donate to both sides, remain silent publicly, negotiate privately. That norm has broken. Varsavsky is neither the first nor the last. But his case is striking because it combines three elements: personal wealth, a communication platform, and a recent, noisy ideological conversion.
The effect on public debate is twofold. On one hand, it legitimizes other entrepreneurs saying what they think. On the other, it exposes the fragility of a media ecosystem where an investor can buy a platform and use it as a megaphone. Menéame isn't Twitter, but it is a node. And nodes, when ownership changes, change tone. The lingering question isn't whether Varsavsky is right, but how long it will take for the next person to imitate him.
The disorienting data point isn't in the studio. It's in the calendar. Varsavsky went from providing WiFi to the 15M movement to defending Trump during prime time. Between these events lie eight founded companies, a pandemic, a Champions League final, and a war. The pendulum, as he says, moves. And he moves with it.
Martín Varsavsky, founder of Jazztel, Ya.com and FON, and owner of Menéame, appeared on Antena 3 to voice what many business leaders think but rarely say during prime time: that Trump is better for business and that proge culture is fading. According to attendees, the show's host absorbed the challenge, while presenter Susanna Griso looked uncomfortable. Yet the entrepreneur, speaking louder than his co-panelists, continued his argument.
The pivotal moment wasn't a statistic or a chart, but a statement: "This is the end of proge culture." Varsavsky, born in Buenos Aires in 1960, now a Spanish citizen with past investments in the US, has been moving in this direction for months—first on social media, then on television. The owner of Menéame—a platform he acquired and, by his own admission, is trying to ensure "stops being a nest of communists and represents everyone"—has shifted from being labeled as proge to becoming an adversary of proge. This turn has a specific timeline and context: the Champions League final in Paris and the October 2023 attacks in Israel, according to various analyses.
From Jazztel to the Studio: Who is Martín Varsavsky?
Varsavsky is a telecommunications entrepreneur who founded eight companies, including Jazztel, Ya.com, FON, Goggo Network and Prelude Fertility. Argentine-born, of Jewish descent, naturalized Spanish, and formerly holding a US passport, his public profile has oscillated between visionary technologist and controversial investor. In Spain, he is remembered for providing free WiFi to the 15M movement (Indignados), a detail that haunts him at every appearance. He also faced backlash during the pandemic for advocating confinement for the unvaccinated, a stance that earned him enemies on both sides of the political spectrum.
His entry into Menéame's capital was his most disruptive move. The platform, a pioneer of social aggregators in Spanish, had been in decline for years. Varsavsky bought it and promised to rescue it from the "nest of communists" he claimed it had become. This phrase, used on social media, summarizes his transformation: from tech investor to cultural crusader. His appearance on Antena 3 merely confirmed this drift.
What Exactly Did He Say About Trump and Sánchez?
The intervention targeted two figures. First, Trump. Varsavsky defended the former US president before a studio audience that, according to witnesses, did not share his enthusiasm. Second, Pedro Sánchez. "A guy who spends all day with Hamas, with the enemies of the West," he said, as reported by news outlets. This blunt remark landed heavily in a format that typically tames its guests. It failed to do so here.
The entrepreneur was not improvising. He has spent months building a narrative: that the political pendulum has swung, that cultural right-wing forces are gaining ground, and that those who ignore this are left behind in business. His defense of Trump is not ideological in the classical sense; it is opportunistic—or so he claims. "I am an investor," he repeats. And as an investor, he bets on rising assets.
Varsavsky's Turn: From Proge to Anti-Proge Crusader
The conversation about Varsavsky has a clear before and after. Before: a tech entrepreneur with pogre social views, supporter of identity causes, and critic of the right. After: a convert who denounces proge culture, supports Trump, and attacks the Spanish government. What peine in between? Two episodes recur in analyses. First, the Champions League final in Paris, where Varsavsky allegedly received a reality check regarding the European political climate. Second, the October 2023 attacks in Israel, which reportedly aligned him firmly with hardline pro-Israel positions.
Some argue the shift is sincere: that Varsavsky saw what he didn't want to see and reacted. Others counter that his conversion coincides with a global change in wind. When Trump returns, when the cultural right gains in Europe, and when proge loses momentum in corporations, an investor with interests across multiple sectors has incentives to jump on the bandwagon. The question isn't whether he changed, but when the previous stance ceased to be profitable.
Menéame and the Business of Buying Declining Platforms
Menéame is the other front. Varsavsky bought the platform and promised to return it to centrality. "We are trying to make sure it stops being a nest of communists and represents everyone," he said. Beyond its bluntness, this phrase reveals a business thesis: that the aggregator lost value due to ideological bias and that there is a market for a broader version. The problem is that Menéame doesn't lose users due to its editorial line, but because of the rise of other networks and the migration of its community to unmoderated spaces. Buying a declining platform and blaming communism is a way to avoid looking at the numbers.
Parallels with other forums are inevitable. In Spain, political discussion spaces have experienced cross-assaults: first from the left, then from the right. The difference is that some moderate content and others don't. Moderation, whether liked or not, is what keeps a community afloat. Varsavsky knows this. That's why his discourse isn't about freedom of expression, but about audience reach.
Why It Matters When an Entrepreneur Says This on TV
Varsavsky's appearance on Antena 3 is not an isolated event. It signals that a segment of the Spanish business community has decided to come out politically. For years, the unwritten rule was to stay neutral: donate to both sides, remain silent publicly, negotiate privately. That norm has broken. Varsavsky is neither the first nor the last. But his case is striking because it combines three elements: personal wealth, a communication platform, and a recent, noisy ideological conversion.
The effect on public debate is twofold. On one hand, it legitimizes other entrepreneurs saying what they think. On the other, it exposes the fragility of a media ecosystem where an investor can buy a platform and use it as a megaphone. Menéame isn't Twitter, but it is a node. And nodes, when ownership changes, change tone. The lingering question isn't whether Varsavsky is right, but how long it will take for the next person to imitate him.
The disorienting data point isn't in the studio. It's in the calendar. Varsavsky went from providing WiFi to the 15M movement to defending Trump during prime time. Between these events lie eight founded companies, a pandemic, a Champions League final, and a war. The pendulum, as he says, moves. And he moves with it.
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (147 replies).
More summaries
-
Trump Threatens to Double Tariffs on Spain Over Defense Spending
Donald Trump threatens to double tariffs on Spanish exports if Spain does not meet its NATO commitment of spending 5% of GDP on defense.
-
Electric Car Fire in Garage Forces Building Reinforcement
A rental electric vehicle caught fire in a garage, destroying an adjacent car. Residents stayed in shelters while the building required emergency structural reinforcement.
-
Spanish Forum User Boycotts Women's Sports Over Feminism
A user quits watching women's sports, calling feminism a declared enemy. The thread mixes boycott calls, criticism of the World Cup, and mockery.
-
Spain PM Sánchez's bike video sparks authenticity doubts
Sánchez released a summer mountain biking clip. Critics question the staging, weather mismatch, and public cost of the production.
-
FWU Bankruptcy Leaves 40,000 Spanish Families Without Savings
Luxembourg insurer FWU's collapse wipes out savings of 40,000 Spanish families who bought high-risk investment products disguised as pension plans.
-
Workers restrain youth after phone theft in Pamplona
Three workers caught a young man stealing their phone in Pamplona and restrained him; two women and a man stopped the assault. Debate on citizen response...