Daniel Penny has been hired by Andreessen Horowitz as a deal partner on their American Dynamism team
A prominent venture capital firm, Andreessen Horowitz, has appointed Daniel Penny as a deal partner within its American Dynamism team. Penny, a former Marine, was acquitted in December of criminally negligent homicide following a high-profile subway incident in New York City.
In May 2023, Penny was involved in an altercation on a Manhattan F train, which ended in the death of Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old black homeless man with a history of mental illness, when the ex-Marine used a chokehold trying to restrain him. Neely had been reportedly threatening passengers before the confrontation. The incident was captured on video and led to Penny’s arrest and subsequent trial. A jury found him not guilty of criminally negligent homicide in December, and a manslaughter charge was dismissed after jurors were unable to reach a verdict.
Neely’s death quickly became a flashpoint in national debates over racial justice, pointing to the fact that a white man killed a black man. Republican figures, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, hailed Penny as a hero, while Rev. Al Sharpton and other civil rights activists compared the incident to the 1984 subway shooting involving Bernhard Goetz, who was dubbed the “subway vigilante” after shooting four black men. Goetz, who is white, was later acquitted of all charges except for carrying an unlicensed firearm.
David Ulevitch, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, expressed support for Penny’s hiring in an internal statement seen by The Free Press. “Daniel is a Marine Corps veteran who served his country and, in a frightening moment in a crowded New York City subway car, did a courageous thing.” The statement added, “He was acquitted of all charges. Beyond that, it has always been our policy to evaluate the entire person and not judge them for the worst moment in their entire life.”
US Vice President JD Vance praised Penny’s new role, calling it “Incredible news” on social media platform X.
The former Marine also attended the annual Army-Navy football game with President Trump just five days after his acquittal in December.
Penny will reportedly be based in Manhattan, focusing on investments in government and defense technology sectors.
