What started as a coordinated attempt to cancel a prominent venture capitalist has now ignited a wave of backlash—against the cancelers. Shaun Maguire, a partner at Sequoia Capital, found himself at the center of a political firestorm after he posted pointed remarks on July 4 about New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

In his post on X, Maguire referred to Mamdani as an “Islamist” and added that he “comes from a culture that lies about everything,” calling it “a virtue to lie if it advances his Islamist agenda.” Critics immediately jumped to label the post as hate speech, demanding disciplinary action from Sequoia Capital.

Within days, an open letter condemning Maguire had garnered between 600 and 900 signatures from individuals identifying as startup founders, investors, and technologists—many tied to companies that have received funding from Sequoia. The letter demanded internal policy overhauls and the establishment of a formal reporting hotline, essentially pressuring the firm to take action against Maguire.

But by July 8, the tide began to turn.

A counter-letter in support of Maguire started gaining traction, signed by a growing list of influential names in the tech world who saw the backlash as an ideological witch hunt. The letter defended Maguire’s remarks as political commentary—not bigotry—and blasted the campaign against him as “ideological mobbing disguised as a moral virtue.”

Let’s unpack what’s actually happening here

There are groups that hate me:

– Marxists, because I’m pro Capitalism
– The Pro-Palestine crowd, because I’m Pro-Israel
– Leftists, because I’m Pro-Trump

All of these groups want me cancelled because I’m a loud and effective voice pic.twitter.com/kvTrVidVrG

— Shaun Maguire (@shaunmmaguire) July 8, 2025

“Whether one agrees with his views or not, his words were not hate speech—they were the reflections of a principled thinker and a partner to countless founders who span geographies, faiths, and political beliefs,” the letter read.

Supporters said Maguire’s reputation as a committed partner in the tech space, citing his “integrity, intellectual honesty, and commitment to the global founder community.” They dismissed attempts to smear him as bigoted as “defamatory.”

Big names stepped forward. Jason Finger, founder of Seamless, confirmed his signature, saying, “Yes, I proudly signed the open letter. Shaun shared his perspective with conviction and integrity. When people articulated terms or concepts they found offensive, he apologized and clarified.” Other signatories included former PayPal president David Marcus, Lux Capital founder Josh Wolfe, and crypto wallet CEO Ouriel Ohayon.

Maguire himself has remained defiant, saying the criticism only fuels his convictions. “I appreciate people supporting me,” he told Business Insider. He described the backlash as the result of his pro-Israel views, stating, “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 also acknowledged he may have misjudged the general public’s understanding of terminology. “I made a mistake in not realizing that most people don’t know the distinction between an Islamist and Islam,” he said, adding that the media has been “irresponsible” in refusing to investigate the claims about Mamdani.

The growing support behind Maguire shows signs that Silicon Valley may be hitting its limit with ideological purity tests. As the open letter states, “We reject the chilling message that nuanced or unpopular opinions make one unfit to serve.”

Sequoia Capital has yet to issue a public comment.

FULL LETTER: 

We, the undersigned founders, investors, operators, and technologists from across the industry, are writing to express our unequivocal support for Shaun Maguire and to denounce the coordinated effort to silence him for expressing personal convictions.

On July 4, Shaun published a post on X. Whether one agrees with his views or not, his words were not hate speech – they were the reflections of a principled thinker and a partner to countless founders who span geographies, faiths, and political beliefs.

The calls to punish or remove him are part of a larger and worrying trend: ideological mobbing disguised as a moral virtue.

We know Shaun personally. He has helped build careers, fund companies, and elevate voices across divides. We’ve experienced his integrity, intellectual honesty, and commitment to the global founder community firsthand. Attempts to paint him as bigoted are not only false – they’re defamatory.

We reject the framing of ideological disagreement as violence. We reject the chilling message that nuanced or unpopular opinions make one unfit to serve. And we reject the idea that the tech industry must conform to a narrow ideological orthodoxy in order to be “inclusive.”

We call on our peers across the ecosystem to stand against ideological bullying – whether it targets Jews, Muslims, Christians, atheists, liberals, conservatives, or anyone in between.

Shaun has stood by peers and founders in their most difficult moments. It’s time we return the favor.

Respectfully,
The undersigned