Sequoia's Support for Shaun Maguire
Sequoia's managing partner, Roelof Botha, defended his colleague, Shaun Maguire, after Maguire's controversial comments sparked an online backlash.
Botha argued that the VC firm needs "spiky" people, implying that diverse perspectives are valuable.
Sequoia is a believer in its partners' right to "free speech."
- Maguire's comments, made in a July 4 post on X, criticized New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, calling him an "Islamist" who "comes from a culture that lies about everything."
- The remarks led to a sizable online backlash and debate about the reputational risk to the VC firm.
Sequoia has backed companies like Airbnb, Google, Nvidia, and Stripe.
Author's summary: Roelof Botha defends Shaun Maguire's free speech.