Sequoia Capital is seeking to oust its former leader Michael Moritz as chair of the fintech Klarna, an extraordinary move that reflects the venture capital group’s mounting discontent over the governance of what was once Europe’s most valuable start-up.
The boardroom dispute adds to pressure on Klarna chief executive and co-founder Sebastian Siemiatkowski as the Swedish “buy now, pay later” pioneer prepares for a public listing, people with knowledge of the situation told the Financial Times.
Moritz, who led Sequoia’s investments into Google, PayPal, YouTube and Klarna over a near-40 year career, is a crucial boardroom ally of Siemiatkowski, according to three people with knowledge of their relationship. One person with knowledge of the move said removing Moritz could be viewed as “step one to removing Sebastian”.