Sequoia Capital

Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire posted on X that DEI "was the most effective KGB operation of all time." After Maguire spread a false conspiracy theory in August 2025 misidentifying a Palestinian student as the Brown University shooter, Sequoia's COO Sumaiya Balbale, a practicing Muslim, resigned citing the remarks as "Islamophobic." Roelof Botha publicly defended Maguire's comments afterward.

Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire led the $10M seed round for Kela, an Israeli defense-tech startup founded by IDF intelligence veterans after October 7, and participated in its $60M Series A in May 2025 alongside the CIA's In-Q-Tel. Maguire noted ~20% of recent Sequoia seed capital has gone to Israeli companies. The investments triggered boycotts of MUBI after Sequoia invested there, with 60+ filmmakers signing an open letter.

Major Israeli portfolio including Wiz, Monday.com. Sequoia Israel office. Silent on Palestinian tech workers fired. Invested in Israeli defense-adjacent companies.

Sequoia invests in AI across spectrum. No public AI ethics stance. Traditional VC approach.

Sequoia defense tech investments increasing. Wiz, Israeli portfolio. Enterprise shift.

Sequoia global offices. International founders supported. Traditional immigrant-friendly VC.

Sequoia traditional VC. Not vocal on content policy. Enterprise focus.

Lost $213.5M on FTX investment. Marked to zero after SBF fraud conviction. Published glowing profile of SBF. Claimed "rigorous due diligence" but missed $8B customer fund theft. Loss offset by $7.5B fund gains.

Sequoia "RIP Good Times" memo in 2008. Pushed portfolio companies to cut aggressively in 2022-2023.

Sequoia pushed portfolio companies to cut costs aggressively. "Crucible moment" memo. Layoff playbook.

Sent "R.I.P. Good Times" memo warning founders to cut costs.