On with Kara Swisher Sir Michael Moritz on ‘Auslander,’ Identity and Life as an Outsider
25 snips
Sep 28, 2026 
Sir Michael Moritz, Welsh-born venture capitalist, author, and former journalist, reflects on his family’s escape from Nazi Germany in Auslander. He discusses archival discoveries, inherited trauma, outsider identity, and why his parents rejected the label “survivors.” The conversation also explores authoritarianism, historical memory, Israel and Gaza, Silicon Valley’s moral responsibilities, San Francisco philanthropy, and persistence.
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Photographs Made Family Trauma Visible
- A Gestapo photograph showed Moritz’s grand-uncle Oscar stepping off a bus after arrest.
- Another archive revealed Moritz’s father behind barbed wire in Britain’s Isle of Man internment camp.
Why His Parents Rejected Survivor
- Moritz’s parents avoided discussing their persecution because they wanted to assimilate and move forward.
- They rejected “survivor” because they believed the term belonged to people who endured camps and extermination.
When Faith In Institutions Fails
- Moritz’s grandfather trusted military service, judicial office, and state institutions to protect him from Hitler.
- That faith proved dangerously misplaced when institutions abandoned their moral responsibilities.
