From SVB's perspective, customer deposits are liabilities. So your statement is true about SVB paying its employees. But it's equally true about SVB doing wire

From SVB's perspective, customer deposits are liabilities. So your statement is true about SVB paying its employees. But it's equally true about SVB doing wire transfer for its customers. When SVB 'sends' money to an account at another bank (whether that account belongs to a startup or to an SVB employee), SVB tells the other bank the amount and the account number. The other bank debits SVB's account at that bank for that amount. The funds don't 'come from' deposits (which are liabilities) but from balances SVB holds at other banks.