San Francisco, CA – Several San Francisco Supervisors have filed police reports in response to a controversial, now-deleted social media post by Garry Tan, President and CEO of Y Combinator. The tweet, published in the early hours of a Saturday morning, targeted seven supervisors with a profanity-laced message, including the phrase "die slow motherf*ckers." The incident has ignited a firestorm of criticism, prompting apologies from Tan and concerns over the tone of political discourse.
Supervisors Aaron Peskin and Connie Chan confirmed they have filed police reports regarding the tweet, while Supervisor Ahsha Safaí also indicated his intent to do so. The post, which mimicked rap lyrics, named Supervisors Chan, Peskin, Safaí, Dean Preston, Shamann Walton, Myrna Melgar, and Hillary Ronen. The controversy escalated when some supervisors subsequently received threatening letters, emblazoned with a picture of Tan, echoing the sentiment of his original tweet.
Garry Tan later deleted the tweet and issued an apology, stating that he "thought everyone would get the rap reference but that wasn’t a good call, reference or not – sorry!" He followed this with a more formal apology to the Board of Supervisors, acknowledging that "there is no place, no excuse and no reason for this type of speech and charged language in discourse." Tan, a prominent figure in Silicon Valley and an active participant in San Francisco politics, has previously been noted for his combative social media presence.
Supervisor Peskin, who received a threatening letter at his home, emphasized the importance of drawing a line against "incitements to violence and death." He stated that while he champions free speech, the incident crossed into dangerous territory. Supervisor Chan also cited the incident in relation to a prior police report she filed against a campaign staffer for a rival candidate, noting that the online threats felt "alarming" and "potentially violent and imminent."
The incident has drawn widespread attention to the intersection of tech leadership, political advocacy, and social media conduct. While Tan's spokesperson, Sam Singer, dismissed the police reports as "political theater," asserting that "it was wrong of Garry to post that, he knows that and he immediately withdrew it and apologized," the supervisors and other critics maintain that the impact of such language is serious, particularly in a city with a history of political violence. The event underscores ongoing tensions between the tech community and local government in San Francisco.
