Co-Owner of Golden State Warriors Says “Nobody Cares” About the Uyghur Genocide in China

In a video uploaded on the “All-In Podcast” YouTube channel on January 15, billionaire investor and co-owner of the Golden State Warriors (GSW), Chamath Palihapitiya, said that “nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs.” This comment sparked controversy on various social media platforms after the video gained more attention on January 17.

Palihapitiya was outright when he commented, saying that “of all the issues I care about, it (the Uyghur genocide issue) is below my line.” This declaration caused many viewers to become upset at Palihaptiya’s abrupt comment and careless manner.

The Golden State Warriors, a franchise co-owned by Palihapitiya, quickly responded on social media that “Mr. Palihaptiya does not speak on behalf of our franchise.” Some GSW fans were upset at Palihapitiya and called out for him to take back his words.

Enes Freedom (born Enes Kanter), a Boston Celtics player, commented on Palihapitiya’s statements, saying that his “careless manner is a shame and disgusting.” Freedom also points out that Palihapitiya is a founder of a company called Social Capital, which claims to “advance humanity by solving the world’s hardest problems,” as its website indicates. Freedom then questions this company’s morals and whether or not they are simply pretending to promote social justice and actually using it as clout for profit.

“I think Freedom has a point,” said James L., a freshman at AISG. “Hearing this billionaire dismiss hundreds of thousands of lives has me questioning this man’s baseline. I feel pretty sardonic now, (I am) excited to see him scramble this mess up.”

Regarding the Uyghur situation, human rights groups believe China has detained more than one million Uyghurs against their will over the past few years in a large network of what the state calls “re-education camps”, and sentenced hundreds of thousands to prison terms. Uyghur activists say they fear that their culture is under threat of erasure.

“Wow, I just recently heard about this ongoing incident,” said Mindy L., a freshman at AISG. “People should at least sympathize with the Uyghur, simply dismissing this matter is an act of ignorance and small-mindedness.”

This whole incident is no where to be wrapped up soon, and heated discussions about Palihapitiya are still taking place everywhere on social media.