Over the weekend, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) pushed back against former Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) executive David Friedberg after he accused some lawmakers of forming a “Politburo.”

Friedberg Targets Progressives In All-In Podcast Rant

During Saturday’s episode of the All-In podcast, Friedberg criticized Khanna, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), stating that they are seeking greater control over the economy under the guise of promoting fairness and equality.

Friedberg argued that progressive politicians want to expand government influence over business, education and media while restricting individual economic freedom.

He likened the group to a “Politburo,” a reference to the ruling bodies that governed communist states, and accused them of attempting to centralize power.

“The Politburo is the leaders who elect themselves to dictate the flow of the economy,” Friedberg said during the podcast.

Ro Khanna Defends ‘Patriotic Capitalism’

Khanna dismissed Friedberg’s comments as “intellectual nonsense” and argued that the real issue is the growing concentration of wealth and power among a small group of Americans.

The California congressman pointed to economic inequality, saying that many workers struggle to afford housing despite long hours on the job. At the same time, a handful of billionaires control enormous amounts of wealth.

“I am for a free enterprise system that works for hard working men and women in every part of America, not just the connected and privileged,” Khanna wrote on X.

Khanna stressed that he supports private enterprise, entrepreneurship and private property rights, while advocating for stronger checks on monopolies, political influence by wealthy individuals and tax policies that ensure broader economic participation.

“The political opinion of a billionaire does not matter more than that of a nurse,” Khanna said, adding that he wants an economy where business success translates into prosperity for more Americans.

AI Dividends Spark New Debate

Khanna also challenged Friedberg on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s past proposal for a universal basic capital model, asking whether distributing a small share of AI-generated wealth to Americans would also constitute “asset seizure.”

Friedberg responded by suggesting Khanna first make a voluntary multimillion-dollar contribution from his family’s wealth to fund social programs before advocating similar policies for others.