Sequoia's Managing Partner Defends Colleague Amidst Controversy
Roelof Botha, managing partner at Sequoia, has come out in support of his colleague Shaun Maguire, who made controversial comments earlier this year.
During an interview at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, Botha defended Maguire's right to "free speech" and argued that the VC firm needs "spiky" people.
Maguire attacked New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, calling the politician an "Islamist" who "comes from a culture that lies about everything."
Maguire's remarks led to a significant online backlash, sparking debate about the reputational risk to Sequoia, which has backed companies like Airbnb, Google, Nvidia, and Stripe.
Author's summary: Sequoia supports colleague amidst controversy.