
Mike Moritz Stepping Back From Sequoia Due to Health Problems - motti_s
http://pandodaily.com/2012/05/21/mike-moritz-stepping-back-from-managing-director-at-sequoia-discloses-incurable-disease-to-lps/
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pc
Mike sits on our board at Stripe. He's one of the greats. This is very sad
news.

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qasar
That is tough to hear. I've never met Mike Moritz but he has had a notable
impact on my life. I read an interview once where he said that he likes to
invest in people under 30. When I heard that in my mid-20s I made it a point
to move to silicon valley as soon as I could.

Whenever people would ask why I had this irrational sense of urgency of
leaving Chicago (where I was doing my first startup) I would say "Ever heard
of this guy Mike Moritz? He said they don't like to invest people over 30 and
i'm already 26!" Of course it was me just rationalizing but nonetheless it's
the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear anything about Mike. Like
Napoleon said, "Everything on earth is soon forgotten, except the opinion we
leave imprinted on history"

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dangoldin
I remember emailing Mike more than 10 years ago (as an aspiring high school
student) about getting an internship at Sequoia and getting a very thoughtful
response from him. In hindsight, I'm surprised I even received a response.

I wish him and his family the best.

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jwwest
Good luck to Mr Moritz. The Little Kingdom is one of my favorite books about
Apple and remains a classic.

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AllenKids
Wow, I wish his condition stays managed for a very very long time to come.

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billpatrianakos
Any clue what that condition may be? I hate to be that nosey guy but it's just
human nature to wonder when someone drops a bomb like that but doesn't give
you much else to go on. Do you think it'll be disclosed later? That's really
shocking sad news but if it's manageable like he says I wonder if maybe his
wealth will shield him by allowing him to get the best treatment and stave it
off for a real long time.

I'm kicking myself for writing this but I just can't help it. Curiosity is
killing me here. The way it implies that it's incurable but manageable to the
point of still being able to work is making my mind jump to different diseases
that are incurable but manageable. I hope I'm very wrong but the first thing I
thought of was HIV/AIDS. I just keep thinking of Magic Johnson and how he
retired from basketball but is still doing very well almost 30 years later
presumably because of his access to the best treatments. When Jobs was
diagnosed with cancer we knew from the start it was cancer. When a public
figure like Moritz makes an announcement like this but doesn't disclose the
disease I'd guess it's either simply because he wants his privacy or because
whatever disease he has may have a stigma attached like HIV does.

When it comes to things like this even the most famous of people deserve their
right to privacy be respected. That said, I feel like it isn't too common for
such people to drop big news like this and not say what the disease is which
is why I jumped to wondering if it's a disease that carries a stigma. God, I
feel like such a dick writing this. It's a real sensitive topic, I know. Maybe
someone has some more information somehow though? Anyone?

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bobowzki
I'm a last year medical student.

I don't think it's HIV. HIV is nowadays more of chronic "condition". Since the
modern drugs were introduced quite "recently" we don't really have any hard
facts on the impact on life expectancy but the prognosis is good.

When he says his quality of life is likely to decrease I think maybe
neurodegenerative disease... Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's etc... This is
pure speculation.

I hope no one is offended by this post. It's pure speculation based on the
wording of the letter and Mr. Mortiz has of course every right to privacy.

Sorry about spelling/grammar. Non native speaker.

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entropy_
Speaking of neurodegenerative diseases, could also be a very mild case of
Huntington's. Average age of onset is 39, I think, but for very mild cases it
can start as late as 60(or even never manifest at all except in offspring).

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wilschroter
Met Mike during a pitch @ Sequoia 10 years ago. Within 5 seconds he understood
our business better than we did. You just don't find that.

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rdl
This is very sad. I've only met him at a few events, and through his writing
(The Little Kingdom, a classic), but he has done a lot to make silicon valley
what it is today.

I hope he is right about remaining healthy for a long time, or is wrong about
it being "incurable".

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sim0n
I've only met Mr Moritz once and feel very lucky to have spent a short amount
of time one to one with him. I seriously hope that he stays healthy for a long
time to come.

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georgechen
I once had an opportunity to present to Mr. Moritz (just last year). He adores
the idea of entrepreneurship, and idolize great entrepreneur in general.

He was friendly, and very, very nice to our team. Gave us some ideas on what
we should work on as well. He's one of the top tier person in the valley I
feel completely comfortable talking to, and not feeling intimidated at all.

I wish him well, and I hope he stays involve.

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hef19898
I wish you good luck and all the courage you, and your close ones, can muster.
Let's hope you have still a lot of time to come!

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namityadav
Hope he stays healthy for a long long time!

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mythrowawayacct
and overnight, Sequioa's firing rate of Founder-CEO's drops... yes or no?

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unfortunat
you mean ceo's like sean parker?

