To understand the unwavering attitude of Trump loyalists after United States Customs and Enforcement shocked the country this weekend by picking up another American citizen in Minneapolis, look no further than Khosla Ventures partner Keith Rabois.
Rabois’s public support for ICE’s action in the killing of Alex Pretti, which was generated through a post on X, was so strong that Khosla Ventures partner Ethan Choi and company founder Vinod Khosla both disagreed.
Rabois denied that Pretti was wrong, writing that the protesters had committed a “crime”. One of the Rabois the post said“(N)o law enforcement has shot innocent people. (I (legal) commit violent crimes every day.” More said: “(H)e unequivocally tried to draw his weapon. (F)uck you.” In another post discussing citizens’ ability to exercise their First, Second and Fourth Amendment rights, VC the answer considered to write: “(Y) but interfering with law enforcement operations is not protected by the amendment.”
Among other comments, Rabois then he said he did not believe the Minneapolis police could be a reliable source in the investigation. “(I) don’t think you should ask any law enforcement in MN. But I’m very open to reading the views of other city jurisdictions. They instead be blamed city police for the situation. “Because the refusal of the MN police to cooperate is exactly what led to this dangerous situation (for everyone).”
And so on.
X reacts as expected. Other Trump supporters cheered Rabois, while those who condemned ICE’s actions objected and condemned the investor.
The situation spiraled sharply when one person suggested the founder removed Khosla from the table cover all, Khosla’s partner Choi piped far.
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Choi sent: “I want to make it clear that Keith doesn’t represent everyone at @khoslaventures, least of all me. What happened in Minnesota is so wrong. Don’t know how you can see it differently. It’s sad to see the lives of people who don’t need to.”
Then the founder of the company, Khosla himself, stood near Choi. “I agree with that @EthanChoi7 . The macho ICE vigilantes are running (amok) under the control of an unconscious administration,” he said. post on X.
Under normal circumstances, opposing political viewpoints can be a strength for VC firms. Whatever one thinks of Rabois’ politics, he has been a very successful investor who has backed companies such as DoorDash, Affirm, Faire, and Stripe, as well as co-founded Opendoor, among other startups.
But sometimes they are internally disruptive.
Sequoia is embroiled in controversy over comments made by partner Shaun Maguire attacking New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Maguire (who comments at the weekend at ICE in line with Rabois’) remains an investor in Sequoia. But the leader at the time of the Mamdani controversy, Roelof Botha, resigned as senior steward in November. Botha was replaced by Alfred Lin and Pat Grady (neither weighed in at the weekend).
In this case, the dispute between Khosla’s partners spilled out into the open. But note that Khosla does not directly condemn Rabois. (The company did not respond to our request for comment.)
When Khosla Ventures hired Rabois back in 2024, the company realized that it had created an outspoken and self-proclaimed “contrarian”, of the ilk who liked to blame the “woke” and praising President Trump. For Rabois’ part, he knows he’ll be working for a vocal Trump critic (Vinod Khosla has made Trump’s point of view clear over the years).
Will the fall continue? Perhaps – but only if the founders really start throwing Khosla Ventures from the closing table.