Michael Moritz

Michael Moritz joined Sequoia Capital in 1986 after a career as a journalist at TIME magazine, where he covered the technology industry and wrote a biography of Steve Jobs. At Sequoia, he made a series of landmark investments including Yahoo (1995), Google (1999), PayPal, and Zappos. His Google investment, made when the company was just two Stanford graduate students, became one of the most profitable venture investments in history. Moritz became Chairman of Sequoia Capital and expanded the firm internationally, including into China through Sequoia China (HongShan). He is also an author and philanthropist, donating significantly to Oxford University, his alma mater. His journalism background gave him an unusual ability to identify compelling stories and assess character in founders. He was born in Wales and educated at Oxford before earning an MBA from Wharton. His book on Steve Jobs, published before Jobs' rise to the status of icon, is considered one of the early comprehensive portraits of the Apple founder.