Vinod Khosla publicly disavows Keith Rabois’ comments on ICE shooting

To understand the stance of an unwavering Trump loyalist after United States Custom and Enforcement shocked the nation this weekend by shooting another American citizen in Minneapolis, look no further than Khosla Ventures partner Keith Rabois.

Rabois’ public support for ICE’s actions in the killing of Alex Pretti, made via posts on X, was so vehement that Khosla Ventures partner Ethan Choi and firm founder Vinod Khosla both publicly disavowed it.

Rabois argued that Pretti was at fault, writing that the protester was committing a “felony.” One of Rabois’ posts said, “[N]o law enforcement has shot an innocent person. [I[llegals are committing violent crimes every day.” Another said: “[H]e unequivocally attempted to draw his weapon. [F]uck you.” In another post that discussed citizens’ ability to exercise their First, Second and Fourth Amendment rights, the VC responded weighed in to write: “[Y]es but interfering w a law enforcement operation is not protected by any of those amendments.”

Among other comments, Rabois went on to say he doesn’t believe that the Minneapolis police could be credible sources in an investigation. “[I] don’t think you should ask any law enforcement in MN. But i am very open to reading views from any other urban jurisdiction.” He instead blamed the city’s police for the situation. “Because the MN police’s refusal to cooperate is exactly what is leading to these treacherous conditions (for everyone).”

And so on.

X reacted as you might expect. Other Trump supporters cheered Rabois on, while those who condemn ICE’s actions argued with and condemned the investor.

The situation spiraled so much that when one person suggested that founders remove Khosla from their cap tables altogether, Khosla partner Choi piped up to distance himself.

Choi posted: “I want to make it clear that Keith doesn’t represent everyone’s views here at @khoslaventures, at least not mine. What happened in Minnesota is plain wrong. Don’t know how you could really see it differently. Sad to see a person’s life taken unnecessarily.”

Then the founder of the firm, Khosla himself, stood by Choi. “I agree with @EthanChoi7 . Macho ICE vigilantes running [amok] empowered by a conscious-less administration,” he said in his post on X.

Under normal circumstances, opposing political points of view can be a strength for a VC firm. Whatever anyone thinks of Rabois’ politics, he’s been a very successful investor backing such companies as 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 partner Shaun Maguire’s comments attacking New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Maguire (whose comments over the weekend on ICE align with Rabois’) remains as an investor at Sequoia. But its leader at the time of the Mamdani controversy, Roelof Botha, stepped down as senior steward in November. Botha was replaced by Alfred Lin and Pat Grady (neither of whom weighed in over the weekend).

In this case, the rift between Khosla partners spilled out publicly. But note that Khosla did not directly chastise Rabois. (The company did not respond to our request for comment.)

When Khosla Ventures re-hired Rabois in 2024, the firm knew it was bringing in an outspoken, self-proclaimed “contrarian” into its ranks, of the ilk that liked to blame the “woke” and praise President Trump. For Rabois’ part, he knew he would be working for a vocal Trump critic (Vinod Khosla has made his point of view on Trump very clear for years).

Will there be continued fallout? Perhaps — but only if founders really do start dumping Khosla Ventures from their cap tables.