UPDATE - Jan. 25, 5:15 p.m. ET: KPCB addressed controversial comments made by the firm's co-founder Tom Perkins via Twitter on Saturday. In its statement, the firm distances itself from Perkins' comments in no uncertain terms:
Tom Perkins has not been involved in KPCB in years. We were shocked by his views expressed today in the WSJ and do not agree.— Kleiner Perkins (@kpcb) January 25, 2014
In a controversial letter, venture capitalist Tom Perkins compares the persecution of Jewish people in Nazi Germany to what he says is the current demonization of society's “one percent.”
Perkins, co-founder of pioneering Silicon Valley venture-capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, is taking serious heat for his letter, which was published Friday in The Wall Street Journal.
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Perkin’s missive is brief, but his message is clear right from the outset:
Regarding your editorial “Censors on Campus” (Jan. 18): Writing from the epicenter of progressive thought, San Francisco, I would call attention to the parallels of fascist Nazi Germany to its war on its “one percent,” namely its Jews, to the progressive war on the American one percent, namely the “rich.”
The op-ed Perkins refers to in his letter addresses the rise in “speech codes” at colleges, and the potential unconstitutional nature of curbing free speech at academic institutions. However, Perkins’ letter appears less interested in the topic of academia, and more concerned with what he perceives as growing negativity directed at the wealthy. He continues:
From the Occupy movement to the demonization of the rich embedded in virtually every word of our local newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, I perceive a rising tide of hatred of the successful one percent. There is outraged public reaction to the Google buses carrying technology workers from the city to the peninsula high-tech companies which employ them. We have outrage over the rising real-estate prices which these ‘techno geeks’ can pay.
Since the letter was published, Twitter has erupted with comments that largely criticize Perkins:
Criticizing the rich is akin to Nazi violence apparently. Tom Perkins is plain insane: http://t.co/tAy62QyxeK— Occupy Wall Street (@OccupyWallStNYC) January 25, 2014
Tim Draper wants to secede and Tom Perkins thinks the holocaust is coming for him. My answer from now on for why we didn't move to the bay.— Shion Deysarkar (@shiondev) January 25, 2014
Comparing the "plight" of the 1% to the Holocaust is beyond disgusting. @kpcb , it's time to drop the "Perkins" http://t.co/0GBrQ5nkde— Geoff Lewis (@justGLew) January 25, 2014
Just... Wow. Tom Perkins shoots instantly to the top of the international Nazi-Simile Gauge of Plutocratic Stupidity http://t.co/wjGlOP5Xxk— Sam Jones (@samgadjones) January 25, 2014
Dear Mr. Perkins, Kristallnacht was done by the paramilitary Nazi gov. Until Occupy gets control of SWAT, I'm pretty sure you're safe. Dick.— Quinn Norton (@quinnnorton) January 25, 2014
Perkins is currently listed on the KPCB website as "partner emeritus," a title that suggests he no longer has much to do with the firm’s day-to-day operations.
However, because of his close ties to the firm, which boasts investments in high-profile companies such as Zynga, Twitter, Path, Nest, Groupon, Facebook and many others, some may draw associations between Perkins' letter and KPCB as it exists today.
KPCB did not immediately respond to a request for comment.