Sir Michael Moritz on Jewish Life in Britain
"Britain is an uncomfortable place for Jews today," stated Sir Michael Moritz, the Cardiff-born billionaire investor. He expressed concerns that Britain is "far more hostile than the US" toward its Jewish community, referencing the 2025 attack on Manchester's Heaton Park synagogue as a significant example.
Sir Michael, who has documented his family's experiences during the Nazi era, remarked that "antisemitism is always in the air," drawing parallels between historical persecution and contemporary challenges.
He revealed that he is applying for German citizenship, describing the German passport as an "insurance policy" that could provide an escape route from the UK or the US, similar to opportunities his ancestors lacked during times of persecution.
Additionally, Sir Michael criticized the UK as a less favorable environment for business compared to the US and China, and he highlighted the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to be "deeply disruptive" to white-collar employment.
At 71, Sir Michael holds both UK and US passports and is recognized as the wealthiest Welshman in history. His fortune was amassed through early investments in companies such as Yahoo and Google during the dot-com boom of the early 2000s.
Family History and Memoir
In his memoir titled Ausländer—the German term for foreigner or outsider—Sir Michael recounts his family's experiences under Nazi rule. His paternal grandparents, Max and Minnie Moritz, were among many relatives who perished in the Holocaust.
Through research in public archives, he discovered photographs of two relatives, his great-uncle Oskar Moritz and cousin Mira Marx, taken by the Gestapo as they were forcibly loaded onto buses destined for their deaths.
Sir Michael's parents fled Germany and settled in Cardiff, where he attended the now-closed Howardian High School in Penylan.
He described a lifelong feeling of being an outsider, recalling as a teenager scanning the phone directory under "M" and noticing his family was the only entry under "Moritz," unlike the numerous entries for common Welsh surnames like Evans and Thomas.
"There was no shortage of Evans' and Thomas', but we were the only Moritz. And to me, that was as if – in the margin, in big black capital letters – it said Jew."
Experiences of Antisemitism
Speaking with , Sir Michael acknowledged that antisemitism exists in many societies, including California where he has spent much of his career. However, he emphasized that Britain remains "far more hostile than the US" for Jews.
He cited personal connections to the Heaton Park synagogue attack, noting that some of his cousins live less than half a mile from the site. While they were not members of that synagogue, they knew many who were present during the deadly incident on Yom Kippur in October 2025.
"I have cousins who live less than half a mile from the Heaton Park synagogue. And while they weren't members of that particular synagogue, they knew a whole bunch of people who were there."
Sir Michael also described how antisemitism has led to children in northwest London avoiding wearing their school blazers to prevent identification with Jewish schools.
"It's all these anecdotes that strike home more than anything else."
His remarks come amid reports of increased antisemitic incidents in the UK following the synagogue attack.
Applying for German Citizenship
Sir Michael is in the process of obtaining a German passport, explaining:
"I think it's the one place in Europe where what happened [nearly] 100 years ago forms a very central part of the educational system, so you have generations that have been reared with that as part of their consciousness. Does that mean it will prevent dreadful things happening in the future? No, but it gives me some mild form of reassurance."
Personal Reflections and Identity
Despite his significant achievements, Sir Michael shared a poignant memory from 2001 when he met former Welsh First Minister Rhodri Morgan during a Welsh government trade trip to Silicon Valley. Morgan greeted him with the question:
"So Michael, what's a nice Jewish boy like you doing in Silicon Valley?"
Sir Michael recalled that this comment immediately evoked feelings of being different and not fully Welsh, stirring emotions from his childhood in Cardiff.
"It struck a nerve... it was really raw. I bit my tongue. There was no need to get into a slanging match... but obviously it cut deep and I remember it."
He noted that such remarks likely lacked significant malice but reflected a broader pattern of his experiences growing up and living as a Jew in Britain.
Business Views and AI Impact
Sir Michael continues to be an active investor and philanthropist. However, he criticized the UK and Europe for lacking the unified market advantages found in the US and China.
He also reiterated concerns that UK corporate boards sometimes lack the expertise necessary to foster new technologies as effectively as American companies, especially those in Silicon Valley.
Regarding artificial intelligence, Sir Michael observed that while AI could be liberating for creative professionals adept at using new tools, it poses significant disruption for lower-skilled white-collar workers.
"It'll be fantastically liberating for creative types who can master all of these incredible tools. I think for people in white-collar jobs, lower-skilled white-collar jobs, irrespective of the pursuit that they happen to be in, it's going to be a very disruptive, dislocating experience. You're going to be able to assemble businesses and run companies with far fewer people in the future than you require today,"he said.
Family and Legacy
When asked about his frequent listing as Wales' richest individual, Sir Michael responded with a smile and mentioned his "very parsimonious" mother, Doris, who would keep him grounded.
He recalled that she was always wary of standing out and became alarmed whenever his name appeared in rich lists.
"I think until the end of her days, she was convinced that I must have been a crook,"he laughed.
"I'm sure if I'd been sitting having a cup of tea with her in her living room here in Cardiff and there was a knock at the door and there was a policeman there, she would have said, 'oh, you must be looking for Michael'."
