Replit Founder Masad Faces Silicon Valley Ostracism for Supporting Palestine, but Breaks Through $3 Billion Valuation Amid AI Boom. He Refuses to Apologize, Demonstrating a Rebel Stance Where Technical Prowess and Political Independence Coexist. This article is adapted, translated, and written by Dongqu from the San Francisco Standard, originally by Margaux MacColl.
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Table of Contents

• The Art of Balance
• Myth and Reality of Success
• The Turning Point

Should I Wear a Palestinian Scarf to the Shooting Range? As I sat in the passenger seat of Amjad Masad’s black Mercedes-Benz, he asked me this. Over two years since the Gaza war erupted, this patterned Palestinian scarf has become a focal point of political controversy. As a Palestinian-born AI startup founder, Masad ultimately wrapped it around his neck. At a shooting range in Santa Clara, we picked up an assault rifle and a pistol before entering. Masad shoulder-mounted an AR-22 and rapidly fired at a cartoon robber target. In less than two minutes, the robber’s head was riddled with precise gunfire.

“You should join a competition,” I suggested.

He sneered: “I’ve been competing all along.”

Indeed, Masad is never shy about showing his competitive spirit or political beliefs—especially after Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the Gaza war.

At 38 years old, Masad feels compelled to speak out for Gaza, publicly condemning those in the tech industry whom he sees supporting Israel’s “genocide” of Palestinians. He quickly realized how unpopular this view is in Silicon Valley.

Party invitations disappeared, tech groups flooded with condemnations of his posts, and investors even called him a “terror supporter.” A company that had supported Replit publicly announced in July that he would donate all proceeds from that investment to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

will just donate any carry from this to the IDF.
— Keith Rabois (@rabois) July 12, 2025

“I feel like I’ve been expelled from Silicon Valley,” Masad said on his way to the range in November.

However, while Silicon Valley sidelined him, the long-anticipated AI wave Masad had bet on finally exploded. In 2024, Replit integrated AI into its development tools, creating an AI Agent capable of transforming plain English commands into ready-made apps. After nearly a decade of effort, the company suddenly appeared at the right place at the right time.

Today, two years later, Replit is thriving. Last September, the company raised $250 million from institutions like Prysm, Andreessen Horowitz, and Amex Ventures, reaching a valuation of $3 billion. The company aims to build the top AI programmer: so simple that anyone can become a software engineer. Meanwhile, Masad continues to stand firm on his political stance.

“Someone reached out to me, saying my words hurt and offended many,” he posted on X this summer. “I finally realized I must, from the bottom of my heart, apologize to—absolutely nobody.”

People reached out to me to express that my words have been hurtful and that many have been deeply offended.
I’ve been reflecting and going back and forth on how to handle this. I finally realized that I must, from the bottom of my heart, apologize to——absolutely nobody.
— Amjad Masad (@amasad) June 14, 2025

Masad’s arrogance is not unique among tech founders. But for many, their independence is often driven by business interests, whereas Masad insists on speaking out even at the risk of damaging his business. In this regard, he told me, “I might be the only contrarian in Silicon Valley.”

As Replit soars, can he maintain this independence?

The Art of Balance

Replit’s billion-dollar valuation is closely tied to the AI boom. If this wave subsides, the company could become worthless. But if it continues to grow, Masad might join the next generation of Silicon Valley billionaires. Replit faces fierce competition in the “code-to-product” AI field. Swedish startup Lovable raised $330 million last month, valuing at $6.6 billion; Israeli company Base44 was acquired by Wix this summer for $80 million. According to PitchBook, last year alone, U.S. AI coding startups received $4.7 billion in funding.

To survive, Masad must not only beat competitors with better products but also win more investor favor. Therefore, most AI players are pragmatic politically. For example, Marc Benioff or Mark Zuckerberg suddenly embraced the Trump administration; NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang is rumored to maintain friendly ties with David Sacks, hoping to loosen chip restrictions; or Sam Altman seeks data center funding from Gulf royal families.

But Masad mostly refuses to soften his stance. He is passionate about discussing political philosophy, eager to talk about the Gaza war and criticize Israel. He even messages with his tech rival, former FTC Chair Lina Khan, dines with Tucker Carlson, and appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast.

For Arab tech insiders, he is a hero. Fadi Ghandour, Executive Chairman of investment firm Wamda, said:

“Seeing our community succeed in Silicon Valley and still speak out for Palestine is truly inspiring.”

Myth and Reality of Success

Masad’s success is no accident. As a teenager in Jordan, he avidly followed Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham’s blog. After graduating in 2010 from Princess Sumaya University for Technology in Jordan, he developed the first version of Replit: an open-source browser-based programming environment. His link on Hacker News caused a sensation, leading to his first U.S. job at Codecademy in New York, then Facebook. In 2016, he co-founded Replit with his wife Haya Odeh. In 2018, they entered Y Combinator and received investment from Andreessen Horowitz.

Masad has said he turned down a $1 billion acquisition offer from GitHub because he believed Replit’s future value would grow exponentially.

The Turning Point

After October 7, 2023, when tech elites lined up behind Israel, Masad held his ground, paying a price. His calendar suddenly cleared; he was no longer invited to parties. Some investors privately accused him of anti-Semitism. An anonymous investor admitted that Masad’s public image was “challenging,” and he had to defend him within the investment community. But as Silicon Valley cooled off, other regions reached out. In April 2024, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) invited Masad and other AI leaders to a estate in South Africa. There, he demonstrated an unreleased AI Agent to Saudi officials.

Replit officially launched the AI Agent in September 2024, achieving $150 million in annual revenue within a year. He signed an exclusive deal with Saudi government agencies, expected to generate “hundreds of millions of dollars” in business.

Suddenly, Silicon Valley wanted a piece of the pie again. Replit secured enterprise orders from Atlassian and Zillow, and completed a $250 million funding round. Masad posted on X:

“Today, the tech world’s wind has shifted. If you’ve been hesitant before, now’s the time to speak out loudly and condemn anyone supporting genocide.”

Now, Masad has enough wealth and community capital. He explicitly states he will not cooperate with the Israeli government, calling it an “illegal and criminal government.” When asked about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, he differentiated, believing Israel is currently committing genocide, and that technology could be directly used for surveillance and harm.

At the end of the interview, Masad shared his ultimate goal: to make Replit a driver of social mobility worldwide. He admits that if he successfully takes the company public and becomes a billionaire, he will have the capital to bring real change to Palestine. “I only know that wealth is the prerequisite.”