To understand the attitude of a staunch Trump loyalist when a federal Border Patrol agent shocked the nation this weekend by shooting an American citizen in Minneapolis, look no further than Khosla Ventures partner Keith Rabois.
Rabois’s public support of the Border Patrol’s actions in the killing of Alex Pretti, made through posts on X, was so strong that Khosla Ventures partner Ethan Choi and firm founder Vinod Khosla publicly disavowed her.
Rambois argued that Pretty was to blame, writing that the protester was committing a “criminal act”. One from Rambois posts said“no law enforcement shot an innocent man. outlaws commit violent crimes every day.” Other he said: “He emphatically tried to draw his gun. fuck you.” In another post discussing citizens’ ability to exercise their First, Second, and Fourth Amendment rights, VC weighed: “Yes, but interference with the law enforcement function is not protected by either of these amendments.”
Among other comments, Rabois he continued to say doesn’t think Minneapolis police could be reliable sources in an investigation: “I don’t think you should ask any law enforcement in MN. But I’m very open to reading opinions from any other city jurisdiction.” He instead accused city police on the situation: “Because the refusal of the MN police to cooperate is exactly what is leading to these treacherous conditions (for everyone).”
And so on.
X reacted as you would expect. Other Trump supporters cheered Rambois, while those who condemn ICE’s actions argued and condemned the investor.
The situation developed so much that when suggested a person that the founders are removing Khosla Ventures from their boards entirely, Khosla partner Choi has asked to distance himself.
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Choi was posted: “I want to be clear that Keith does not represent the views of everyone here at @khoslaventures, at least not mine. What happened in Minnesota is completely wrong. I don’t know how you could really see it any other way. It’s sad to see a person’s life needlessly taken.”
Then the founder of the company, Khosla himself, stood by Choi. “I agree with @EthanChoi7. Macho ICE vigilantes are running amok [sic] empowered by an administration without a conscience,” he said in his post on X.
Under normal circumstances, opposing political views can be a strength for a VC firm. Whatever one thinks of Rabois’ politics, he has been a very successful investor backing companies like DoorDash, Affirm, Faire and Stripe, as well as co-founding Opendoor, among other startups.
But sometimes they are internally disruptive.
Sequoia was embroiled in a controversy over comments made by partner Shaun Maguire attacking New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Maguire (whose comments over the weekend at ICE align with Rabois’) remains an investor in Sequoia. But its leader at the time of the Mamdani controversy, Roelof Botha, resigned as senior administrator in November. Botha was replaced by Alfred Lin and Pat Grady (neither weighed in at the weekend).
In this case, the rift between Khosla’s partners spilled out into the open. But note that Khosla did not chastise Rabois directly. (The company did not respond to our request for comment.)
When Khosla Ventures rehired Rabois in 2024, the firm knew it was bringing into its ranks an outspoken, self-proclaimed “contrarian,” one of the ilk who liked to accuse the “woke” and praised President Trump. For Rambois’ part, he knew he’d be working for a vocal critic of Trump (Vinod Khosla has made his views on Trump very clear for years).
Will there be ongoing effects? Maybe — but only if founders actually start dropping Khosla Ventures from their boards.
