Criticism of the super-rich is like the Holocaust, says super-yacht owning Silicon Valley billionaire in WSJ article that has sparked ridicule

• Thomas Perkins, 82, wrote of the 'parallels of fascist Nazi Germany to its [San Francisco's] war on its "one per cent"
• Referenced the protests against Google buses and tech workers driving up the cost of living 
• Perkins is worth $8billion and built a superyacht worth $150m

By Daily Mail Reporter

A California multimillionaire has attracted ridicule after the Wall Street Journal published his letter comparing criticism of super-rich Americans to the Holocaust.
Venture capitalist Thomas Perkins, who is thought to be worth around $8billion, wrote to the paper  from San Francisco, where a class war is currently brewing over rich tech employees who are driving up the city's cost of living.
He opened his letter to the paper: 'Writing from the epicenter of progressive thought, San Francisco, I would call attention to the parallels of fascist Nazi Germany to its war on its "one percent," namely its Jews, to the progressive war on the American one percent, namely the "rich.'
Mr Perkins describing the hatred attracted by Google workers in San Francisco and an incident in which his former wife author Danielle Steele was branded a 'snob' in the San Francisco Chronicle in a row over the height of her hedge.
He then added: 'This is a very dangerous drift in our American thinking. Kristallnacht was unthinkable in 1930; is its descendent "progressive" radicalism unthinkable now?'
Kristallnacht translates as 'The night of broken glass' and refers to coordinated attacks on Jews in Germany on November 9 1938, as authorities looke on and did nothing.

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Superyacht: Mr Perkins commissioned the $150m yacht Maltese Falcon which he later sold

Mr Perkins, 82, was educated at MIT before gaining an MBA from Harvard. He founded Venture capitalist firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in 1973 and has served as a director on boards of companies including Compaq.

 

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He recently spent $150million building a super yacht called Maltese Falcon and lives on a 60th floor, 5,500ft penthouse overlooking San Francisco Bay.

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Comparisons: Mr Perkins referenced the Kristallnacht attacks on Jews in Germany in 1938

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Protests: Mr Perkins also discusses the protests in San Francisco against Google buses and tech workers driving up the area's cost of living

Before that, he was a general manager credited with building Hewlett Packard into the huge company it is known as today and started a successful laser company based on his own invention.

His comments comparing criticism of the rich to the Nazis persecution of the Jews that resulted in six million deaths have attracted ridicule from many.
Kaili Joy Gray wrote on the Wonkette blog: 'The parallel of Nazi Germany and some people getting kind of annoyed by the tech bro dudes is exactly ZERO.'
Author and New York Times writer Steven Greenhouse tweeted: 'As someone who lost numerous relatives to the Nazi gas chambers, I find statements like this revolting & inexplicable.'