The Golden State Warriors issued a statement on Monday to distance themselves from minority owner Chamath Palihapitiya following his comments about the Uyghurs in China.
The Uyghurs are a Turkish ethnic group in China, millions of whom have been placed in concentration camps in China and been subjected to various human rights violations, such as forced sterilization and forced labor.
On his podcast, Chamath, the CEO of financial group Social Capital, disregarded the Uyghurs situation, saying that it does not register on his radar as an important cause because he prioritizes domestic issues much more.
Here is the short clip that went viral:
When @NBA says we stand for justice, don’t forget there are those who sell their soul for money & business like @chamath the owner of @warriors,
who says “Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs”When genocides happen, it is people
like this that let it happenShame! pic.twitter.com/27j2GxGhCU
— Enes Kanter FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) January 17, 2022
And here is a longer version of the discussion:
If anyone's interested in an extended version of what's been trending@chamath @Jason @DavidSacks @friedberg #UyghurGenocide #chamath pic.twitter.com/qiw5vVKpkZ
— tomhaverford | ∑: (@tomhaverford24) January 18, 2022
After Chamath received criticism for his comments, the Warriors issued a statement distancing themselves from the co-owner.
Warriors statement re: Chamath Palihapitiya: pic.twitter.com/zUl6i9sOve
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) January 17, 2022
“As a limited investor who has no day-to-day operating functions with the Warriors, Mr. Palihapitiya does not speak on behalf of our franchise, and his views certainly don’t reflect those of our organization,” the statement said.
Palihapitiya also addressed the matter with a follow-up comment.
“In re-listening to this week’s podcast, I recognize that I come across as lacking empathy. I acknowledge that entirely. As a refugee, my family fled a country with its own set of human rights issues so this is something that is very much a part of my lived experience. To be clear, my belief is that human rights matter, whether in China, the United States, or elsewhere. Full stop.”
Among some of his comments, Chamath said it was a “luxury” to be able to care about certain human rights. He also compared the US to the CCP and said the United States was just as bad. He defended China as a dictatorship as well.
