Partners at Andreessen Horowitz, Blue Entrepreneurship Capital Firm in Silicon Valley, defended their decision to hire Daniel Penny, a marine veteran released on charges of criminally careless murder last year, according from New York times
Andreessen Horowitz, Memorandum said, most likely that the largest investor of public safety and protection of entrepreneurship in the country, and “as a result, we spend a lot of time with active militaries, veterans, police chiefs, sheriffs; These relationships are critical to the success of our companies. “
“The experience of Mr. Penny’s Military Veteran’s veteran may be useful in continuing to build these relationships, and many of our founders and partners of public safety and defense have shared a similar feeling,” said the memorandum, who was Sent Wednesday by Jen Kha, the firm Chief of Investor Relations.
The firm told employees on Tuesday morning that she had hired Mr. Penny. David Ulevitch, an investment partner, said in a special memorandum that he was introduced to Mr. Penny last year and that the veteran had acted “courage in a difficult situation”.
Mr. Ulevitch asked Mr. Penny to join the US investment team of the firm Dynamism, which focuses on the airspace, protective and manufacturing sectors.
Mr. Ulevitch added that he had carried out “investigations and interviews” with Mr. Penny and believed that Mr. Penny had brought “honorably and appropriately given chaotic and dangerous circumstances” in Metro, Memory said.
Immediately after the employment was made public, partners in the firm began receiving messages from foreigners and limited partners expressing concern, two people familiar with messages, who spoke about the state of anonymity said.
Some of the people asked why Mr. Penny was being employed with no experience investment, while others expressed concern that his highly politicized trial would attract unfair attention to the firm.
A spokesman for Andreessen Horowitz did not respond immediately to a comment request. A lawyer who represented Mr. Penny during the trial refused to comment on Wednesday.
Partners in the firm, including co -founder Marc Andreessen, supported President Trump in last year’s elections. Some have also drawn to the right -wing figures, including Mr. Penny, who was embraced by the conservatives during his trial.
A former student of architecture, Mr. Penny, was charged in 2023 by the Manhattan District Prosecutor’s Office with murder and criminally negligent killing after a video of him drowning another passenger, Jordan Neely, on Metro circulated online.
Mr. Neely, 30, had boarded a northern train at the Avenue Avenue station and immediately began screaming passengers, witnesses said to want to return to prison and not take care if he lived or died. Mr. Penny approached him from the back, put him in a chokeehold and took him to the floor.
A four-minute video recorded by a passer-by quickly spread online, showing men fighting on the floor of the subway train. Mr. Neely, who had fought with his mental health for years, died.
In December, jurists were blocked on the most serious charge Mr. Penny faced, murder and the judge rejected him. The jurists then considered a careless criminal murder and released Mr. Penny.
For some, the issue epitomized their concerns about homelessness, mental illness and crime in New York City. Others saw Mr. Neely as someone who needed help in a city that allows to slip the most affected through the cracks.
Memory Andreessen Horowitz accepted strong thoughts for Mr. Penny, but added that “we believe it has long -term value in expanding our network in collaboration with Daniel and we are excited to have it as part of our team.”