Sequoia's Support for Shaun Maguire
Roelof Botha, managing partner at Sequoia, defended his colleague Shaun Maguire's controversial comments that sparked an online backlash.
Botha argued that the VC firm needs "spiky" people, implying that diverse perspectives are valuable.
Sequoia believes in its partners' right to "free speech."
- Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire made controversial comments about New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
- Maguire's 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: Sequoia supports colleague despite controversy.