Randi Weingarten AFT President | American Federation of Teachers
Three prominent education union leaders have called on the University of Michigan and the University of California to take a stand against racist comments made by Shaun Maguire, a partner at Sequoia Capital. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten, American Association of University Professors President Todd Wolfson, and California Federation of Teachers President Jeff Freitas sent letters urging the universities' regents to publicly condemn Maguire's remarks.
Maguire recently posted on social media accusing New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani of promoting an "Islamist agenda" and claimed that Mamdani "comes from a culture that lies about everything." Although these posts were deleted, Maguire has not retracted his statements or apologized. Sequoia Capital has also not addressed the issue adequately.
The union leaders emphasized that both universities are significant investors in Sequoia Capital. They urged the governing boards to denounce Maguire's rhetoric and demand accountability from Sequoia Capital's leadership. They also suggested reconsidering 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. She added, "This isn’t about politics—it’s about humanity."
The letters highlighted concerns over institutional ties to private capital and urged regents to ensure public funds do not support entities that tolerate hate speech. The union leaders pointed out the potential harm such rhetoric poses to Arab and Muslim communities in California and Michigan.
They recommended contacting Sequoia Capital managing partner Roelof Botha directly with their concerns and considering the firm's lack of response when making future investment decisions.
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