Shaun Maguire, a partner at Sequoia Capital, is facing criticism after calling New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani an “Islamist” on social media. Maguire’s comments have sparked a heated debate within the tech industry. Last week, Maguire referred to news that Mamdani had checked boxes indicating his ethnicity as “Asian” and “Black or African American” on his 2009 Columbia application.
Mamdani, whose parents are of Indian origin and who was born in Uganda, mentioned he sought to represent his complex background. Maguire wrote on X that the news showed Mamdani “comes from a culture that lies about everything” and added, “It’s literally a virtue to lie if it advances his Islamist agenda.” This drew swift backlash from entrepreneurs and others. A petition went up over the weekend calling Maguire’s posts “a deliberate, inflammatory attack that promotes dangerous anti-Muslim stereotypes and stokes division.” As of Tuesday, it had over 700 signatories, including founders of companies backed by Sequoia or its spin-offs.
Hisham Al-Falih of Lean Technologies, a Sequoia-backed founder, stated Maguire’s post was “not only a sweeping and harmful generalization of Muslims, but part of a broader pattern of Islamophobic rhetoric that has no place in our industry.”
In response, an open letter supporting Maguire has circulated and amassed over 355 signatures from founders, investors, and tech workers.
Maguire’s comments spark tech industry debate
The letter rejects what it calls ideological bullying and defends Maguire as a “principled thinker” and partner to diverse founders.
“Whether one agrees with his views or not, his words were not hate speech,” the letter reads. “The calls to punish or remove him are part of a larger and worrying trend: ideological mobbing disguised as a moral virtue.”
Notable signatories include Jason Finger, founder of Seamless, David Marcus, former president of PayPal, and Josh Wolfe, founder of Lux Capital. Finger confirmed his support, saying, “Shaun shared his perspective with conviction and integrity.
When people articulated terms or concepts they found offensive, he apologized and clarified.”
Maguire expressed gratitude for the support, stating, “I appreciate people supporting me. I have been one of the most vocal pro-Israel voices the last 18 months, and the pro-Palestine mob saw an opportunity to come after me and they capitalized on it.”
He admitted underestimating how the general public would receive his use of “Islamist,” noting, “I made a mistake in not realizing that most people don’t know the distinction between an Islamist and Islam.”
Sequoia Capital has yet to comment on the situation. Zohran Mamdani’s team did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The incident highlights growing tensions in Silicon Valley regarding diversity, inclusion, and the intersection with political discourse.