Statement of Support for
Shaun Maguire
We, a global coalition of successful founders and investors, publicly affirm our unwavering support for Shaun Maguire.
Shaun has defended the Western pillars of free expression, open inquiry, and individual liberty - principles that fuel the innovation economy - and he did so knowing it could endanger his own career. That courage deserves recognition, not retribution.
It is particularly telling that the current outrage targets Shaun’s critical remarks about Zohran Mamdani, a political figure whose public record is saturated with rhetoric hostile to the very Western freedoms his defenders now claim to champion. Mamdani has made a career out of denouncing liberal democracies, applauding movements that undermine free markets and free thought, and portraying Western society itself as irredeemably oppressive. The founders demanding Shaun’s censure are, in effect, shielding a candidate who has repeatedly vilified the principles that let all of us (Muslim, Christian, atheist, or otherwise) speak our minds and build world-changing companies.
That inversion of values underscores exactly why Shaun’s voice is needed.
Why We Stand Up Now
For more than two decades, the West has faced assaults - sometimes violent, sometimes via cultural intimidation - from movements that reject Western principles of freedom of thought, women’s rights, and the rule of law. These extremist ideologies routinely recast any critique of their doctrines as “hate,” hoping to shame institutions into silence. The coordinated campaign against Shaun is part of that pattern: an attempt to invert our values by branding principled speech as bigotry. If we yield, we teach every founder that the price of honesty is professional ruin. That is unacceptable.
Why This Matters
Free societies depend on freedom of speech and diverse thought
Venture capital, by definition, bets on contrarian ideas. A culture that punishes any deviation from a narrow orthodoxy will back fewer moonshots and entrench groupthink.
Critiquing violent ideology protects, rather than endangers, marginalized groups
Extremists - from ISIS to Hamas - thrive when polite society hesitates to name and oppose them.
Founders choose capital that respects courage
Many of us deliberately partner with Sequoia because its investors are expected to speak plainly, think independently, and stand firm when the crowd wavers. Capitulating to bad-faith readings of Shaun’s words would erode that trust.
Our Position
Sequoia’s greatest strength has always been the caliber of the people it entrusts with partnership: individuals willing to think for themselves, challenge prevailing narratives, and champion founders others overlook.
Shaun embodies that tradition.
By standing with him, Sequoia signals to the next generation of entrepreneurs that it remains a firm where powerful, free-minded, and free-speaking partners are not only welcome but celebrated.
We applaud Sequoia for cultivating this culture and encourage you to defend it without hesitation.
We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Shaun and any builder who speaks honestly in defense of universal human rights. Our companies, employees, and the future we are creating depend on it.
Signed,
The undersigned founders and investors from around the world
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