Latest news with #HishamAlFalih
New York Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
The Mamdani Debate Moves to Silicon Valley
A battle over a venture capitalist's Mamdani posts Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for New York City mayor, has drawn heated opposition from many business elites for his policy positions, including higher taxes on businesses and the wealthy. But comments by a leading figure at Sequoia, the venture capital giant, calling Mamdani an 'Islamist' have drawn backlash — and put the institution at odds with some of the founders it has backed. TL;DR: Shaun Maguire, a partner at Sequoia and a prominent Silicon Valley conservative, referred on social media last week to the news that Mamdani had checked boxes in his application to Columbia in 2009 indicating his ethnicity as 'Asian' and 'Black or African American.' (His parents are of Indian origin and he was born in Uganda, and he told The Times that he had sought to represent his complex background, and had noted his Ugandan origins in the application.) Maguire wrote on X that the news showed that Mamdani 'comes from a culture that lies about everything' and added, 'It's literally a virtue to lie if it advances his Islamist agenda.' Entrepreneurs and others have censured Maguire's comments. An online petition went up over this weekend calling the investor's posts 'a deliberate, inflammatory attack that promotes dangerous anti-Muslim stereotypes and stokes division.' It had more than 700 signatories as of Tuesday. Among them were several founders of companies that have been backed by Sequoia. One, Hisham Al-Falih of Lean Technologies, told Bloomberg that 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.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The National
2 days ago
- Business
- The National
Middle East tech figures criticise Shaun Maguire over 'appalling' Mamdani 'Islamist agenda' comments
A growing list of start-up founders are circulating an open letter to Sequoia Capital urging the prominent venture capital firm to take action against one of its partners, Shaun Maguire. The letter, which had more than 520 digital signatories as of Monday afternoon, follows a July 4 post on X in which Mr Maguire referred to New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani as an 'Islamist'. Mr Maguire, an avid X poster best known for his investments in SpaceX and xAI, claimed in the controversial X post that Mr Mamdani 'comes from a culture that lies about everything' and is willing to lie 'if it advances his Islamist agenda'. Bloomberg reported that the signatories, not all of which could be immediately verified, include start-up executives, employees and venture capitalists from around the world, as well as entrepreneurs who have raised from funds affiliated with Sequoia. Among them are Hosam Arab, chief executive of Tabby, and Hisham Al Falih, chief executive of Lean Technologies – co-founders of Saudi FinTech start-ups that raised funding from Sequoia Capital India before it separated from Sequoia Capital in the US, they said. Ahmed Sabbah, co-founder of Egyptian payments company Telda, which raised funding from Sequoia in 2021, also signed the letter. Mr Al Falih said in an email to Bloomberg that he does not endorse Mr Mamdani but found Mr Maguire's comments over the holiday weekend 'appalling'. 'His tweet was not only a sweeping and harmful generalisation of Muslims, but part of a broader pattern of Islamophobic rhetoric that has no place in our industry,' Mr Al-Falih said. After Mr Maguire's comments went viral, he responded with a 30-minute video posted to X on Sunday in which he apologised several times for offending anyone. He said that Islamism is a political ideology, not a race or religion and clarified that his primary concerns are with Mr Mamdani's father, Mahmood Mamdani, a Columbia University professor who Mr Maguire says practices 'radical left-wing Islamism'. Mr Maguire declined to comment beyond the video. A representative for Sequoia Capital declined to comment. A representative for Mr Mamdani's campaign did not respond to a request for comment. The open letter, a rare show of defiance against one of the most powerful and influential VC firms, calls for Sequoia to make a public apology for Mr Maguire's actions. It also asks that Sequoia launch an investigation into his conduct, publish a zero‑tolerance policy on hate speech and create a hotline for founders to safely report discrimination or hate speech made by Sequoia employees. The letter asks for a formal response to these demands by July 14. 'As founders building the future of technology, we cannot accept leadership from a firm whose partners engage in hate speech and spread bigotry,' the letter states. 'Maguire's conduct not only tarnishes Sequoia's reputation, it also undermines your ability to serve a global, diverse founder ecosystem.' Other tech workers who signed the letter include Mudassir Sheikha, co-founder and chief executive of the Uber-owned Middle Eastern ride-hailing company Careem; Omar Almajdouie, the founding partner of Saudi investment firm Raed Ventures; and Zaheer Mohiuddin, chief executive of Cupertino-based start-up the executives confirmed in emails to Bloomberg. Eslam Hussein, co-founder and chief executive of Dubai-based start-up Invygo and another signatory, said he signed the letter because '[Mr] Maguire's comments were Islamophobic and completely unacceptable, especially coming from someone in a leadership role at one of the most powerful firms in venture capital'. Mr Maguire is known in VC and technology circles for his frequent X posts and controversial statements. In January, he posted a photo of himself at one of the presidential inaugural celebrations in Washington DC. Later that same month, he called diversity, equity and inclusion policies 'structural racism'. Last year, shortly after Donald Trump, at the time US presidential candidate, was convicted of falsifying business records, Mr Maguire wrote in a lengthy post on X that he had donated $300,000 to Mr Trump's campaign for the presidency. The post included a disclaimer clarifying that his views did not reflect those of his employer, and that he was 'lucky to work at a place that tolerates spirited debate and independent thinking'.
The National
2 days ago
- Business
- The National
Sequoia Capital partner Maguire's posts on Mamdani leads to founder petition
A growing list of start-up founders are circulating an open letter to Sequoia Capital urging the prominent venture capital firm to take action against one of its partners, Shaun Maguire. The letter, which had more than 520 digital signatories as of Monday afternoon, follows a July 4 post on X in which Mr Maguire referred to New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani as an 'Islamist'. Mr Maguire, an avid X poster best known for his investments in SpaceX and xAI, claimed in the controversial X post that Mr Mamdani 'comes from a culture that lies about everything' and is willing to lie 'if it advances his Islamist agenda'. The signatories, not all of which could be immediately verified, include start-up executives, employees and venture capitalists from around the world, as well as entrepreneurs who have raised from funds affiliated with Sequoia. Among them are Hosam Arab, chief executive of Tabby, and Hisham Al Falih, chief executive of Lean Technologies – co-founders of Saudi FinTech start-ups that raised funding from Sequoia Capital India before it separated from Sequoia Capital in the US, they said. Ahmed Sabbah, co-founder of Egyptian payments company Telda, which raised funding from Sequoia in 2021, also signed the letter. Mr Al Falih said in an email that he does not endorse Mr Mamdani but found Mr Maguire's comments over the holiday weekend 'appalling'. 'His tweet was not only a sweeping and harmful generalisation of Muslims, but part of a broader pattern of Islamophobic rhetoric that has no place in our industry,' Mr Al-Falih said. After Mr Maguire's comments went viral, he responded with a 30-minute video posted to X on Sunday in which he apologised several times for offending anyone. He said that Islamism is a political ideology, not a race or religion and clarified that his primary concerns are with Mr Mamdani's father, Mahmood Mamdani, a Columbia University professor who Mr Maguire says practices 'radical left-wing Islamism'. Mr Maguire declined to comment beyond the video. A representative for Sequoia Capital declined to comment. A representative for Mr Mamdani's campaign did not respond to a request for comment. The open letter, a rare show of defiance against one of the most powerful and influential VC firms, calls for Sequoia to make a public apology for Mr Maguire's actions. It also asks that Sequoia launch an investigation into his conduct, publish a zero‑tolerance policy on hate speech and create a hotline for founders to safely report discrimination or hate speech made by Sequoia employees. The letter asks for a formal response to these demands by July 14. 'As founders building the future of technology, we cannot accept leadership from a firm whose partners engage in hate speech and spread bigotry,' the letter states. 'Maguire's conduct not only tarnishes Sequoia's reputation, it also undermines your ability to serve a global, diverse founder ecosystem.' Other tech workers who signed the letter include Mudassir Sheikha, co-founder and chief executive of the Uber-owned Middle Eastern ride-hailing company Careem; Omar Almajdouie, the founding partner of Saudi investment firm Raed Ventures; and Zaheer Mohiuddin, chief executive of Cupertino-based start-up the executives confirmed in emails to Bloomberg. Eslam Hussein, co-founder and chief executive of Dubai-based start-up Invygo and another signatory, said he signed the letter because '[Mr] Maguire's comments were Islamophobic and completely unacceptable, especially coming from someone in a leadership role at one of the most powerful firms in venture capital'. Mr Maguire is known in VC and technology circles for his frequent X posts and controversial statements. In January, he posted a photo of himself at one of the presidential inaugural celebrations in Washington DC. Later that same month, he called diversity, equity and inclusion policies 'structural racism'. Last year, shortly after Donald Trump, at the time US presidential candidate, was convicted of falsifying business records, Mr Maguire wrote in a lengthy post on X that he had donated $300,000 to Mr Trump's campaign for the presidency. The post included a disclaimer clarifying that his views did not reflect those of his employer, and that he was 'lucky to work at a place that tolerates spirited debate and independent thinking'.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Sequoia Partner Maguire's Posts on Mamdani Spark Founder Petition
(Bloomberg) -- A growing list of startup founders are circulating an open letter to Sequoia Capital urging the prominent venture capital firm to take action against one of its partners, Shaun Maguire. The letter, which had more than 520 digital signatories as of Monday afternoon, follows a July 4th post on X in which Maguire referred to New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani as an 'Islamist.' Are Tourists Ruining Europe? How Locals Are Pushing Back Foreign Buyers Swoop on Cape Town Homes, Pricing Out Locals Trump's Gilded Design Style May Be Gaudy. But Don't Call it 'Rococo.' Denver City Hall Takes a Page From NASA In California, Pro-Housing 'Abundance' Fans Rewrite an Environmental Landmark Maguire, an avid X poster best known for his investments in SpaceX and xAI, claimed in the controversial X post that Mamdani 'comes from a culture that lies about everything' and is willing to lie 'if it advances his Islamist agenda.' The signatories, not all of which could be immediately verified, include startup executives, employees and venture capitalists from around the world, as well as entrepreneurs who have raised from funds affiliated with Sequoia. Among them are Hosam Arab, CEO of Tabby, and Hisham Al-Falih, CEO of Lean Technologies — co-founders of Saudi fintech startups that raised funding from Sequoia Capital India before it separated from Sequoia Capital in the US, they said. Ahmed Sabbah, co-founder of Egyptian payments company Telda, which raised funding from Sequoia in 2021, also signed the letter. Al-Falih said in an email that he does not endorse Mamdani but found Maguire's comments over the holiday weekend 'appalling.' 'His tweet 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,' Al-Falih said. After Maguire's comments went viral, he responded with a 30-minute video posted to X on Sunday in which he apologized several times for offending anyone. He said that Islamism is a political ideology, not a race or religion and clarified that his primary concerns are with Mamdani's father, Mahmood Mamdani, a Columbia University professor who Maguire says practices 'radical left-wing Islamism.' Maguire declined to comment beyond the video. A spokesperson for Sequoia Capital declined to comment. A spokesperson for Mamdani's campaign did not respond to a request for comment. The open letter, a rare show of defiance against one of the most powerful and influential VC firms, calls for Sequoia to make a public apology for Maguire's actions. It also asks that Sequoia launch an investigation into his conduct, publish a zero‑tolerance policy on hate speech and create a hotline for founders to safely report discrimination or hate speech made by Sequoia employees. The letter asks for a formal response to these demands by July 14. 'As founders building the future of technology, we cannot accept leadership from a firm whose partners engage in hate speech and spread bigotry,' the letter states. 'Maguire's conduct not only tarnishes Sequoia's reputation, it also undermines your ability to serve a global, diverse founder ecosystem.' Other tech workers who signed the letter include Mudassir Sheikha, co-founder and CEO of the Uber-owned Middle Eastern ride-hailing company Careem; Omar Almajdouie, the founding partner of Saudi investment firm Raed Ventures; and Zaheer Mohiuddin, CEO of Cupertino-based startup the executives confirmed in emails to Bloomberg. Eslam Hussein, co-founder and CEO of Dubai-based startup Invygo and another signatory, said he signed the letter because 'Maguire's comments were Islamophobic and completely unacceptable, especially coming from someone in a leadership role at one of the most powerful firms in venture capital.' Maguire is known in VC and technology circles for his frequent X posts and controversial statements. In January, he posted a photo of himself at one of the presidential inaugural celebrations in DC. Later that same month, he called diversity, equity and inclusion policies 'structural racism.' Last year, shortly after Donald Trump was convicted of falsifying business records, Maguire wrote in a lengthy post on X that he had donated $300,000 to Trump's campaign for president. The post included a disclaimer clarifying that his views did not reflect those of his employer, and that he was 'lucky to work at a place that tolerates spirited debate and independent thinking.' SNAP Cuts in Big Tax Bill Will Hit a Lot of Trump Voters Too For Brazil's Criminals, Coffee Beans Are the Target 'Telecom Is the New Tequila': Behind the Celebrity Wireless Boom Sperm Freezing Is a New Hot Market for Startups Pistachios Are Everywhere Right Now, Not Just in Dubai Chocolate ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
