Overview
- At TechCrunch Disrupt, managing partner Roelof Botha said Sequoia honors partners’ free speech and tolerates divergent views, describing the firm’s culture as welcoming of “spiky” personalities.
- Botha pointed to Shaun Maguire’s dealmaking value, noting his stewardship of Sequoia’s stakes in Musk-linked companies and growing ties to defense tech founders.
- COO Sumaiya Balbale resigned in August, which outlets reported was over the firm’s refusal to discipline Maguire, and Botha declined to comment on her departure.
- More than a thousand founders and tech professionals signed an open letter urging Sequoia to take action, and CAIR called for Maguire’s dismissal after his July post about Zohran Mamdani.
- Forbes reported that the stance risks a rift with key limited partners, including Middle East sovereign funds and U.S. public endowments, as unions press universities like Michigan and California to reconsider future commitments.