AFT, AAUP and CFT Demand Accountability from Sequoia Capital Over Partner’s Racist Comments

WASHINGTON—Three of the nation’s top education union leaders are urging the regents of the University of Michigan and the University of California to publicly condemn racist remarks made by Sequoia Capital partner Shaun Maguire, and to hold the firm accountable for its ongoing failure to address Maguire’s racist comments.

In letters sent late last week, Randi Weingarten, president of the AFT; Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors; and Jeff Freitas, president of the CFT, California’s AFT affiliate, denounced Maguire’s recent social media tirade in which he accused New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani of promoting an “Islamist agenda” and claimed Mamdani “comes from a culture that lies about everything.” The posts were deleted, but Maguire has stood by his comments without apology, and Sequoia Capital has failed to address the incident in any meaningful way.

The union leaders highlighted that both public university systems are significant investors in Sequoia Capital—with the University of Michigan invested in at least 26 Sequoia funds and the University of California in 21. In their letters, the leaders called on both governing boards to denounce Maguire’s rhetoric, demand accountability from Sequoia Capital’s leadership, and reconsider any future investments in the firm.

“Hateful rhetoric like Maguire’s has no place in public life—let alone from a leader at one of the world’s most powerful investment firms,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “This isn’t about politics—it’s about humanity. At a time when antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism are on the rise, real leadership means standing up and speaking out. That’s why we wrote to the regents of UC and UM to demand that they hold Sequoia Capital’s partners to a basic standard of decency.”

The union presidents emphasized that the remarks come at a time of increased scrutiny of institutional ties to private capital, and they urged the regents to use their leverage to ensure public funds are not aligned with entities that tolerate or excuse hate speech. They also noted the unique harm such rhetoric poses to Arab and Muslim communities in California and Michigan—two states with among the largest such populations in the country.

The leaders suggested that the regents contact Sequoia Capital managing partner Roelof Botha directly to express concerns and asked them to weigh the firm’s failure to respond appropriately when evaluating future investment decisions.