Talk:Jim Goetz

Rewrite

I rewrote the article in my own words, referencing multiple sources. Jperfettini (talk) 17:59, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Proposed expansion of this article

I am proposing a new, expanded version of this biographical article, which as of this writing is little more than a stub, contains external links in the body copy, and lacks for RS sources. Mostly right now it simply lists investments made by Mr. Goetz, which seem mostly correct, but as listed they are not explained by secondary, third-party sources.

Therefore, the draft I present here I've carefully researched and organized to present a high-level overview of his career, both at Sequoia and before, including his recent transition out of a leadership role at the firm. You can find my proposed draft here: User:WWB_Too/Jim_Goetz

My intention has been to follow reliable, third-party sourcing very closely, to write from a neutral point of view, and to provide enough details about his various activities as to be informative to the reader without getting bogged down in unnecessary details. Fortunately, many of his key investments are notable companies in their own right, and he's been frequently mentioned in news articles about them.

I will not make any direct edits to this article, because I have a financial conflict of interest: I have been contracted by Mr. Goetz to create a more informative biography of him. I am hoping to find an independent volunteer editor willing to review my proposed changes and, if they agree, to move this draft into place. If a reviewing editor has any questions or suggested changes before this can happen, I'll aim to respond soonest. Thanks in advance, WWB Too (Talk · COI) 17:06, 24 August 2018 (UTC)

After reviewing the proposed changes at the request of the author, and making some edits myself, I have moved the draft onto the main article page. Page maintains a WP:NPOV and follows WP:BLP guidelines, even after the contributor has noted their affiliation with the subject of the article. Comatmebro (talk) 19:21, 17 September 2018 (UTC)

Proposed Philanthropy section

Hello to anyone watching this page, I have an update request for this article. Mr. Goetz has made some major donations over time, to the University of Cincinnati and to the city of Los Gatos, which have received third-party news coverage. I believe this is sufficient to create a new top-level section called Philanthropy, which I'd recommend placing below the top-level Sequoia Capital section and above Personal life. This is what I propose:

Philanthropy

Goetz created the Mantei/Mae scholarship program at the University of Cincinnati in 2010 for high-achieving students studying electrical and computer engineering and computer science.

In 2021, Goetz donated $25 million to the University of Cincinnati. The gift led to the expansion of computer science faculty, the establishment of two athletic scholarships, the renaming of the school's engineering building to the Mantei Center, in honor of professor Thomas Mantei, and the establishment of the Marian Spencer honors program. The same year, Goetz donated a renovated movie theater in Los Gatos, California, to the city.

Inside the box below is the markup itself, for convenience. It includes just what I recommend adding, including the header:

Extended content

==Philanthropy==

Goetz created the Mantei/Mae scholarship program at the [[University of Cincinnati]] in 2010 for high-achieving students studying [[electrical engineering|electrical]] and [[computer engineering]] and [[computer science]].<ref name="Engel">{{cite news |last1=Engel |first1=Liz |title=Famed investor gifts $25M to UC; building renamed in former professor’s honor |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/09/10/after-25m-gift-uc-rededicates-campus-building.html |access-date=July 17, 2023 |work=Cincinnati Business Courier |date=September 10, 2021}}</ref>

In 2021, Goetz donated $25 million to the University of Cincinnati. The gift led to the expansion of computer science faculty, the establishment of two [[Athletic scholarship|athletic scholarships]], the creation of an [[Honors colleges and programs|honors program]], and the renaming of the school's engineering building to the [[University_of_Cincinnati_College_of_Engineering_and_Applied_Science#Facilities|Mantei Center]], in honor of professor Thomas Mantei.<ref name="Engel"/> The same year, the Goetz family donated a renovated movie theater in [[Los Gatos, California]], to the city.<ref name="Peterson">{{cite news |last1=Peterson |first1=Judy |title=Town takes over iconic downtown movie theater |url=https://losgatan.com/town-takes-over-iconic-downtown-movie-theater/ |access-date=July 17, 2023 |work=Los Gatan |date=November 24, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Kanik">{{cite news |last1=Kanik |first1=Hannah |title=Los Gatos Theatre, a ‘centerpiece’ of the community, reopens |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/01/21/los-gatos-theatre-a-centerpiece-of-the-community-reopens/ |access-date=July 17, 2023 |work=The Mercury News |date=January 21, 2023}}</ref>

References

Please let me know what you think! As before, I have a financial COI with this topic and will not make changes on my own. @Vaticidalprophet: I saw you recently made an assessment of the article, would you be interested in looking at this request? WWB Too (Talk · COI) 16:50, 23 October 2023 (UTC)

Done Thank you for including the markup :) Lewcm Talk to me! 10:20, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

Outdated marital status

Hello, editors watching this page. On behalf of Mr. Goetz, I am here to formally request editors update Personal life to reflect that he is no longer married. It has been a long road to posting this request, so I'll offer a little background:

• I initially posted a question on the Biographies of living persons noticeboard back in 2023. ScottishFinnishRadish initially removed the unsourced information from the infobox, but it was added to the Personal life section by Edwardx using the Forbes 2020 Midas List, which was accurate when published, but is no longer.

• Although the profile blurb was originally published in 2020, the Forbes profile lacks a visible date in both the body text and the URL due to the site’s design, making it unclear to readers that the information may be outdated. In the magazine it was part of a feature, but on the website it functions more like a directory listing. It's an ambiguous source.

• At BLP/N, some editors agreed the information should be left out, others requested I contact Forbes to update their profile on Mr. Goetz or reach out to VRT. I have done both: Forbes has not responded to my request for an update; VRT reviewed the court documents I shared verifying the divorce, but recommended I seek the change on this Talk page. So here I am.

The live article currently says, "Goetz is married, with three children, and lives in Los Gatos, California." I specifically ask editors to remove the statement that Mr. Goetz is married. He has been divorced for more than two years.

I recognize that a court document verifying the divorce is not ideal from a Wikipedia perspective. However, independent reliable sources do not regularly write news stories about divorces of people who generally keep a low profile. I do think there is an element of common sense that can be applied here. The Wikipedia article says Mr. Goetz is married, yet it can be verified in public court records that he is not.

If necessary, I can provide a redacted version of the public record via email, but I defer to others if that's entirely necessary. I am also pinging Encoded, who was the last editor to reply to a request of mine on this Talk page, in case they are interested. Thanks in advance, WWB Too (Talk · COI) 20:05, 6 May 2025 (UTC)

I sourced the info to the 2020 Forbes Midas list, which at least changes the tense.

Are the divorced documents publicly available and citable? (I assume not?) Jenny8lee (talk) 19:24, 17 June 2025 (UTC)

Hi Jenny, thanks for looking at the request. Unfortunately, the fact that divorce proceedings took place is public record, but the outcome is not. And I cannot share them publicly myself. There may be a potential solution per this thread, but it's taking some time to develop. Still, I appreciate your interest! And sure wish this was easier. WWB Too (Talk · COI) 19:45, 17 June 2025 (UTC)

Where is the link to divorced proceedings in public record? (If any?)

With that you can say "as of YYYY, Goetz has entered divorced proceedings in XXXX court." Jenny8lee (talk) 19:54, 17 June 2025 (UTC)

The Santa Clara courthouse website, IIRC. It's been a few years since I searched the records. In any case, the change you made is likely preferable to "entered divorce proceedings" just because it's less confusing, although neither statement reflect his actual current marital status. WWB Too (Talk · COI) 20:15, 17 June 2025 (UTC)

This sounds like a violation of WP:NOR. If the subject has chosen not to publicize his divorce, there is no reason why Wikipedia should, unless it has affected his public functions. If he has notified the media and they have declined to publish it, he is no longer notable. Julian in LA (talk) 23:05, 15 July 2025 (UTC)

It appears that the requested change was made some time ago. Marking this as "answered." Julian in LA (talk) 23:32, 15 July 2025 (UTC)