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Peter Thiel

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Peter Thiel
NamePeter Thiel
CaptionThiel in 2015
Birth date11 October 1967
Birth placeFrankfurt, West Germany
Alma materStanford University (BA, JD)
OccupationEntrepreneur, venture capitalist, political activist
Known forCo-founding PayPal, Palantir Technologies, Founders Fund, early investment in Facebook

Peter Thiel is a German-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and political activist. A co-founder of PayPal and Palantir Technologies, and the first outside investor in Facebook, he is a prominent figure in Silicon Valley and a leading proponent of libertarianism and technological progress. Through his firms Founders Fund and Mithril Capital, he has funded numerous technology startups and controversial projects in fields like artificial intelligence and life extension.

Early life and education

Born in Frankfurt, West Germany, he moved with his family to the United States as an infant, living in Cleveland and later South Africa before settling in Foster City, California. A top-ranked United States Chess Federation player in his youth, he attended San Mateo High School before enrolling at Stanford University. At Stanford, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and served as editor-in-chief of The Stanford Review, a conservative newspaper he helped found. He subsequently received a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School and briefly worked as a securities lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell in New York City.

Career

Thiel's business career began in finance with a role at Credit Suisse before he returned to California to co-found Thiel Capital in 1996. In 1998, he co-founded Confinity, which launched a digital wallet service; it merged with Elon Musk's X.com in 2000 to become PayPal, where Thiel served as CEO. Following PayPal's acquisition by eBay in 2002, he used his capital to become the first major outside investor in Facebook in 2004. That same year, he co-founded the data analytics company Palantir Technologies and later established the venture capital firm Founders Fund. He has served as a partner at Y Combinator and co-founded Mithril Capital.

Political and philosophical views

A self-described libertarian, Thiel's ideology blends free-market economics with a focus on technological transformation and skepticism toward traditional democracy. He has been a significant donor to Republican candidates, including Donald Trump, whom he supported at the 2016 Republican National Convention. His philosophical writings, such as in his book Zero to One, critique globalization and advocate for monopolistic innovation. He is a fellow at the Hoover Institution and has expressed support for seasteading through his funding of the Seasteading Institute.

Investments and business ventures

Through Founders Fund and his personal investments, Thiel has backed a vast array of companies, including SpaceX, LinkedIn, Yelp, Spotify, and Airbnb. His Thiel Fellowship program, launched in 2011, grants young entrepreneurs funding to leave college and pursue startups. He is chairman of Palantir Technologies, a major contractor for U.S. intelligence and defense agencies like the CIA and Department of Defense. His investments also extend to frontier technologies, including artificial intelligence firms, biotechnology companies like Unity Biotechnology, and anti-aging research through the Methuselah Foundation.

Personal life

Thiel is openly gay and married his longtime partner, Matt Danzeisen, in 2017. He holds citizenship in the United States, Germany, and New Zealand, where he owns significant property. A resident of Los Angeles, he has made substantial political donations, notably financing the lawsuit that led to the bankruptcy of the news outlet Gawker Media. His interests include science fiction, classical literature, and transhumanism.

Awards and recognition

Thiel has been listed on the Forbes Midas List of top tech investors and the Forbes 400 ranking of wealthiest Americans. He was named to the Time 100 list of most influential people in the world in 2011. In 2022, he received the Global Swiss Award for his impact on technology and innovation. His book Zero to One, based on his lectures at Stanford University, became a national bestseller.

Category:American billionaires Category:American technology company founders Category:American venture capitalists