Venture Capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya Vocally Unconcerned About Uyghur Issues

It is always odd when the National Basketball Association and domestic Chinese affairs get entangled. However, this is starting to become somewhat of a regular occurrence. Most recently, 10% owner of the Golden State Warriors and billionaire investor Chamath Palihapitiya opened up about his views on the global reaction to the ongoing situation in Xinjiang, China. 

Defined by the U.S. State Department as a genocide against the Uyghur Muslims, China has been accused of several severe human rights violations against the ethnic and culturally distinct group.  

On his “All-in” podcast, Palihapitiya spoke to his co-host, and noted that “Every time I say that I care about the Uyghurs, I’m really just lying if I don’t really care. And so, I’d rather not lie to you and tell you the truth, it’s not a priority for me.” Instead, he said that he cared more about issues such as China’s threat to Taiwan, climate change, and the U.S. health care infrastructure.  

As expected, the venture capitalist received immense backlash from his team and politicians alike. 

Soon thereafter, the Golden State Warriors issued a press release stating that “Mr. Palihapitiya does not speak on behalf of our franchise, and his views certainly don’t reflect those of our organization.” 

While these comments certainly come off as insensitive and lacking of empathy for millions of suffering people, others argue that what is significant is the lack of actual action taken by the NBA in general. The league and several of its most influential players have high-profile contracts with Chinese manufacturers for shoes and merchandise, as well as lucrative television deals with the Chinese government.  

Those contracts anger human rights activists, who contend that those financial interests lead the NBA to actively prevent its players or fans from speaking out on other issues pertaining to the country, such as political repression in Hong Kong.  

According to activists, a case in point is that the official statement from the Warriors made no mention of China nor the plight of the Uyghurs.  

In response, Palihapitiya has since clarified his previous comments, first stating that he is in fact a refugee and that his past of fleeing a nation with “its own set of human rights issues… is very much a part of [his] lived experience.” He went on to write that “to be clear, my belief is that human rights matter, whether in China, the United States, or elsewhere. Full stop.” 

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