• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechVenture Capital

Tesla, SpaceX Director Steve Jurvetson Leaves VC Firm Amid Sex Harassment Allegations

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 13, 2017, 7:01 PM ET

A prominent venture capitalist facing sexual harassment allegations has stepped down in addition to taking leave from the boards of Tesla and SpaceX.

Steve Jurvetson has left Silicon Valley venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson following an internal investigation, according to a Recode report on Monday.

DFJ issued a statement saying that Jurvetson and the VC firm parted ways “by mutual agreement.”

“DFJ’s culture has been, and will continue to be, built on the values of respect and integrity in all of our interactions,” a DFJ spokesperson said. “We are focused on the success of our portfolio companies, as well as the long-term vision for the firm and will continue to operate with the highest professional standards.”

The firm’s did not reveal the reason for Jurvetson’s departure. But anonymous sources cited by Recode said “the investigation uncovered behaviors by Jurvetson that were unacceptable related to a negative tone toward women entrepreneurs.”

Jurvetson said on Twitter that he is leaving the VC firm “to focus on personal matters, including taking legal action against those whose false statements have defamed me.”

https://twitter.com/dfjsteve/status/930170825625370624

Jurvetson is also taking a leave of absence from his board positions at aerospace company SpaceX and electric car maker Tesla, “pending resolution of these allegations,” a Tesla (TSLA) spokesperson told Fortune in an email.

Jurvetson, who was one of the first investors in Hotmail, is also a board member of several startups including D-Wave, Memphis Meats, Mythic, Planet Labs, and Synthetic Genomics.

The investor’s departure comes weeks after tech news publication The Information published a report that said DFJ was investigating potential harassment allegations involving Jurvetson. Additionally Keri Kukral, a founder of media startup RawScience TV, alleged in a Facebook posting that “women approached by founding partners of Draper Fisher Jurvetson should be careful,” citing “predatory behavior.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

DFJ operating partner Heidi Roizen later responded to the Facebook posting without mentioning Kukral’s name by saying the behavior described “is patently wrong.” She added that “during the summer this year, we heard about allegations of misconduct by one (and only one) of our partners from a third party.”

Other prominent venture capitalists that have come under fire for sexual harassment allegations include Justin Caldbeck, Dave McClure, Marc Canter, and Chris Sacca.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

tired
Future of WorkWork
AI just gave you six extra hours back. Your boss already took them.
By Nick LichtenbergMarch 10, 2026
44 minutes ago
A woman in an orange shirt sits by a computer with her fingers rubbing her temples.
AIProductivity
‘AI brain fry’ is real — and it’s making workers more exhausted, not more productive, new study finds
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 10, 2026
55 minutes ago
altman
LawOpenAI
OpenAI sued by parents of girl critically wounded in Canada school shooting
By The Associated PressMarch 10, 2026
1 hour ago
Didi Gurfinkel, Datarails Co-Founder & CEO
AIbusiness software
Financial software company Datarails aims to disrupt itself with AI before someone else does with launch of new FinanceOS product
By Jeremy KahnMarch 10, 2026
2 hours ago
Mastercard logo seen displayed on a smartphone with an Artificial intelligence (AI) chip and symbol in the background.
BankingFinance
Most small businesses can’t afford a full-time finance chief. So Mastercard is debuting a ‘virtual CFO’ built with AI
By Sheryl EstradaMarch 10, 2026
4 hours ago
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Anthropic’s Department of War lawsuit is even higher-stakes amid the AI boom
By Allie GarfinkleMarch 10, 2026
4 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Real Estate
Billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg used mortgages to buy multimillion-dollar mansions. Here’s why that’s a savvy financial decision
By Sydney LakeMarch 9, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Energy
Trump promised to fill America’s oil reserves ‘right to the top.’ A year later, oil has exceeded $100 and they’re still less than 60% full
By Tristan BoveMarch 9, 2026
23 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
Like Trump, Iran’s new supreme leader is a real estate mogul, with a house on ‘Billionaires’ Row,’ a villa in Dubai, and upscale European hotels
By Jason MaMarch 9, 2026
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, March 9, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMarch 9, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Investing
Oracle is under pressure from more than $100 billion in debt and massive layoffs as it pushes ahead with Larry Ellison's 3-step transformation 
By Amanda GerutMarch 9, 2026
16 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Energy
Oil over $100, markets in free fall, and Iran's new supreme leader is Trump's 'worst case' scenario
By Jim EdwardsMarch 9, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.