Peter Thiel

Peter Thiel
Thiel in 2022
Peter Thiel
Born	Peter Andreas Thiel 11 10, 1967
Birthplace	Frankfurt, West Germany
Nationality	German, American, New Zealand
Occupation	Entrepreneur, venture capitalist, political activist
Known for	Co-founding PayPal, Palantir Technologies, Founders Fund; first outside investor in Facebook
Education	Stanford University (BA, JD)

Peter Andreas Thiel (born 11 October 1967) is a German-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and political activist whose career has intersected the fields of technology, finance, and public policy in ways few contemporaries can match. He co-founded PayPal in 1998, served as its chief executive officer until its acquisition by eBay in 2002, and subsequently became the first outside investor in Facebook in 2004. He co-founded the data analytics company Palantir Technologies in 2003 and the venture capital firm Founders Fund in 2005, establishing himself as one of the most influential figures in Silicon Valley. Born in Frankfurt, West Germany, Thiel moved to the United States as an infant and was educated at Stanford University, where he earned both a bachelor's degree and a law degree. Beyond business, Thiel has been an active participant in American political life, making substantial financial contributions to Republican and libertarian causes, and has attracted both admiration and controversy for his outspoken views on technology, education, monopoly, and democracy. Through the Thiel Foundation, he has funded fellowship programs for young entrepreneurs and scientific research initiatives aimed at extending human life. His business dealings, political activities, and public statements have made him one of the most discussed and polarizing figures in American public life.

Early Life

Peter Andreas Thiel was born on 11 October 1967 in Frankfurt, West Germany. His parents brought him to the United States when he was one year old. In 1971, the Thiel family relocated to South Africa and subsequently to South West Africa (present-day Namibia), where the family lived for several years before returning to the United States in 1977. The family settled in the United States, where Thiel grew up and attended school in Foster City, California.

Thiel reportedly developed interests in chess and mathematics at a young age. His childhood, spent across multiple countries and continents, exposed him to different political systems and cultures during formative years — experiences that may have informed his later interest in political philosophy and governance structures. The family's time in apartheid-era South Africa and South West Africa during the 1970s placed them in a region undergoing significant political upheaval, though detailed accounts of the family's experiences during this period are limited in public sources.

After settling in California, Thiel attended school in the San Francisco Bay Area and demonstrated strong academic ability, particularly in mathematics and the sciences. His early experiences as an immigrant — having held German citizenship from birth and later acquiring American citizenship — gave him a transnational perspective that would later manifest in his business ventures and political philosophy.

Education

Thiel attended Stanford University in Stanford, California, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He subsequently enrolled in Stanford Law School, where he earned a Juris Doctor degree. During his time at Stanford, Thiel was active in campus intellectual life and co-founded The Stanford Review, a conservative and libertarian student newspaper, in 1987. The publication was intended as a counterpoint to what Thiel and his co-founders perceived as a prevailing progressive orthodoxy at the university.

His years at Stanford proved formative in multiple respects. He developed a network of relationships with fellow students and faculty that would prove important throughout his subsequent career in technology and finance. Several of the individuals he met during this period later became collaborators in his business ventures, forming part of what became known as the "PayPal Mafia" — a group of former PayPal employees and executives who went on to found or lead numerous other technology companies.

Thiel has, in later years, become a notable critic of the American higher education system, arguing that college is overvalued and that many students would benefit more from pursuing entrepreneurship directly. This stance led to the creation of the Thiel Fellowship, which offers grants to young people to forgo college in favor of building companies. Former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein publicly disagreed with this view in 2026, arguing that attending college "makes you a 'complete person.'"

Career

Early Career and Thiel Capital Management

After graduating from Stanford Law School, Thiel pursued several professional paths before entering the technology industry. He worked as a law clerk, as a securities lawyer, and as a speechwriter before taking a position as a derivatives trader at Credit Suisse. These experiences in law and finance provided him with a broad understanding of capital markets, securities regulation, and financial instruments that informed his subsequent entrepreneurial activities.

In 1996, Thiel founded Thiel Capital Management, a financial firm that allowed him to begin deploying capital based on his own investment theses. This venture marked his transition from employee to principal and established the foundation for his later, more prominent business endeavors.

PayPal

In 1998, Thiel co-founded PayPal alongside Max Levchin and Luke Nosek. The company was initially conceived as a digital wallet and online payment system, emerging during the rapid expansion of internet commerce in the late 1990s. PayPal quickly found a significant user base among buyers and sellers on eBay's auction platform, where traditional payment methods were cumbersome.

Thiel served as the chief executive officer of PayPal during a turbulent period that included the dot-com bubble collapse, intense competition from rival payment services, and the challenges of managing fraud on an online payment platform. Under his leadership, the company navigated these challenges and grew its user base substantially. PayPal completed an initial public offering in 2002.

Later in 2002, eBay acquired PayPal for approximately $1.5 billion, a transaction that provided substantial returns to Thiel and other early investors and employees. The sale made Thiel a wealthy man and positioned him to pursue a broad portfolio of subsequent investments and ventures.

The former executives and employees of PayPal — including Thiel, Levchin, Nosek, Elon Musk, Reid Hoffman, and others — went on to found, fund, or lead a remarkable number of technology companies, earning the collective nickname the "PayPal Mafia." Thiel's role as a central figure within this group amplified his influence within the technology sector.

Facebook Investment

In August 2004, Thiel became Facebook's first outside investor, acquiring a 10.2% stake in the then-nascent social networking company for $500,000. The investment, made when Facebook was still limited primarily to college students, proved to be one of the most lucrative venture investments in the history of Silicon Valley. As Facebook grew into one of the world's largest and most valuable companies, Thiel's stake appreciated enormously in value.

Thiel began selling portions of his Facebook holdings over subsequent years. In August 2012, he sold the majority of his remaining Facebook stock. His original $500,000 investment had returned well over $1 billion, cementing his reputation as an investor with exceptional foresight regarding emerging technology companies.

Notably, despite having profited immensely from social media, Thiel has in more recent years been among the technology figures who restrict their own children's exposure to the products that generated their wealth. A 2026 report noted that Thiel and several other tech billionaires, including Bill Gates, impose strict screen-time limits on their children.

Palantir Technologies

In 2003, Thiel co-founded Palantir Technologies, a software and data analytics company that builds platforms for large-scale data integration and analysis. Thiel has served as chairman of the company's board since its founding. Palantir's software has been used by intelligence agencies, military organizations, law enforcement bodies, and corporate clients for purposes including counterterrorism, fraud detection, and operational analytics.

Palantir has been a source of both commercial success and public controversy. The company's contracts with government agencies, particularly in the areas of surveillance and immigration enforcement, have drawn criticism from civil liberties organizations and activists. Proponents argue that Palantir's technology has contributed to national security objectives and the prevention of terrorist attacks.

In February 2026, Palantir filed a lawsuit against the Swiss magazine Republik after the publication reported that Switzerland had rejected approaches from the company. Palantir alleged that the magazine did not provide sufficient right of reply before publication.

Clarium Capital

Following the PayPal sale, Thiel founded Clarium Capital, a global macro hedge fund based in San Francisco. The fund employed a macroeconomic investment strategy, making large-scale bets on trends in currencies, commodities, and interest rates. Clarium experienced periods of strong performance, particularly during the financial crisis of 2007–2008, but also sustained significant losses in other periods. Assets under management fluctuated substantially over the life of the fund.

Founders Fund and Other Venture Capital Activities

In 2005, Thiel launched Founders Fund, a venture capital firm, alongside former PayPal colleagues Ken Howery and Luke Nosek. The firm's investment philosophy emphasizes backing companies that pursue transformative technologies rather than incremental improvements. Founders Fund has invested in a wide range of companies across sectors including aerospace, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and consumer internet services.

Thiel co-founded Valar Ventures in 2010, a venture firm focused on international technology investments. The firm invested in companies outside the United States, including Xero, a New Zealand–based accounting software company. He founded Thiel Capital in 2011 and co-founded Mithril Capital in 2012.

In January 2026, emails released by the House Oversight Committee related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein revealed that Valar Ventures had accepted $40 million in investment from Epstein. The emails further showed that Thiel had corresponded with Epstein over a five-year period prior to Epstein's death in 2019, with topics including Brexit. The revelations attracted significant public attention and scrutiny.

In February 2026, Thiel fully divested his stake in ETHZilla (NASDAQ: ETZH), an Ethereum-focused treasury company, signaling a full exit from that particular cryptocurrency-related investment.

From 2015 to 2017, Thiel served as a part-time partner at Y Combinator, the prominent startup accelerator.

New Zealand Citizenship

In 2011, Thiel was granted New Zealand citizenship, a fact that later became a source of controversy in New Zealand. Reports indicated that Thiel had spent only a limited amount of time in the country and that his citizenship had been granted under unusual circumstances. The matter prompted public debate in New Zealand about the criteria and processes by which citizenship is extended to wealthy foreign investors.

Political Activities and Views

Thiel identifies as a libertarian and has written extensively about his political philosophy. In a 2009 essay for Cato Unbound titled "The Education of a Libertarian," Thiel wrote: "I stand against confiscatory taxes, totalitarian collectives, and the ideology of the inevitability of the death of every individual." In the same essay, he expressed skepticism about the compatibility of democracy and freedom, writing that he no longer believed the two were compatible — a statement that generated significant discussion and criticism.

Thiel has been a major donor to Republican candidates and conservative causes. In 2012, he was identified as a top donor to the Club for Growth super PAC, contributing $1 million. He has supported various candidates for federal and state office, and was a notable supporter of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, speaking at the 2016 Republican National Convention.

In February 2026, Thiel was reported to be financially backing Jace Yarbrough, a Republican candidate for Texas's 32nd congressional district, who had described himself as "Nazi-ish." Trump endorsed Yarbrough in the same race. Thiel's political donations have also attracted criticism from progressive political figures. In February 2026, Senator Bernie Sanders publicly criticized Thiel, along with Elon Musk and Bill Ackman, in the context of California's proposed wealth tax, calling on billionaires to pay their "fair share" of taxes.

Thiel has been variously described as a conservative libertarian and, by critics, as a democracy-skeptic authoritarian. His political positions have defied easy categorization, combining support for some socially liberal positions (he is openly gay) with strong advocacy for free-market economics, skepticism of government regulation, and financial support for right-wing political figures.

Bollea v. Gawker

In 2016, it was revealed that Thiel had secretly funded the lawsuit brought by professional wrestler Hulk Hogan (whose legal name is Terry Bollea) against Gawker Media. The case, Bollea v. Gawker, centered on Gawker's publication of a sex tape involving Hogan. A Florida jury awarded Hogan $140 million in damages, and Gawker subsequently filed for bankruptcy.

Thiel's involvement in the case was motivated in part by Gawker's 2007 publication of an article outing him as gay — an action Thiel described as invasive and harmful. His decision to fund the lawsuit raised significant questions about the ability of wealthy individuals to use the legal system to silence media organizations, while supporters argued that Gawker had engaged in an invasion of privacy that warranted legal consequences.

Thiel Foundation and Philanthropy

Through the Thiel Foundation, Thiel has funded several philanthropic and grant-making initiatives. The foundation's activities reflect Thiel's particular interests in technology, entrepreneurship, life extension, and alternatives to traditional education.

Thiel Fellowship

The Thiel Fellowship, originally known as "20 Under 20," provides grants of $100,000 to young people aged 22 or younger who agree to forgo or pause their college education in order to pursue entrepreneurial projects or scientific research. The program reflects Thiel's view that higher education is overvalued and that talented young people can achieve more by building companies and conducting research outside the university system. The fellowship has produced several notable alumni who have gone on to found successful companies.

Breakout Labs

Breakout Labs is a grant-making program operated by the Thiel Foundation that provides funding to early-stage science and technology companies working on transformative ideas. The program is designed to bridge the gap between academic research and commercial viability, funding projects that may be too risky or speculative for traditional venture capital or government grants. Breakout Labs announced its first cohort of grantees and has continued to fund companies across fields including biotechnology, advanced materials, and energy.

Longevity and Seasteading

Thiel has expressed interest in and provided financial support for research into human life extension. He has donated to the Methuselah Foundation, which funds research aimed at extending the healthy human lifespan.

Thiel was also an early supporter and funder of the Seasteading Institute, an organization that explores the creation of permanent floating communities in international waters as a means of experimenting with new forms of governance outside existing national jurisdictions. The concept aligns with Thiel's libertarian interest in alternatives to existing governmental structures.

Additionally, Thiel has been listed as a supporter of the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Personal Life

Thiel is openly gay. His sexual orientation became widely known in 2007 after Gawker Media published an article outing him — an event that significantly influenced his later decision to fund the Bollea v. Gawker lawsuit.

Thiel holds citizenship in three countries: Germany (by birth), the United States, and New Zealand (granted in 2011). He has maintained residences in multiple locations, including San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Thiel is the author and co-author of books addressing technology, entrepreneurship, and political philosophy. His book Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future (2014), co-written with Blake Masters, became a bestseller and is considered an influential text on startup strategy and the value of creating monopolistic businesses rather than competing in established markets.

As of 2026, Thiel has been reported to limit his own children's use of screens and social media, joining other technology industry figures who impose restrictions on the products that generated their wealth.

Legacy

Thiel's influence extends across multiple domains — technology entrepreneurship, venture capital, political activism, and public intellectual discourse. His role in co-founding PayPal and his early investment in Facebook placed him at the center of two of the most consequential developments in the history of internet commerce and social networking. Through Founders Fund, Valar Ventures, and Mithril Capital, he has directed capital toward a broad range of technology companies, shaping investment patterns and priorities within Silicon Valley.

His political activities have been both influential and divisive. His support for Donald Trump in 2016 was unusual among prominent Silicon Valley figures, and his continued financial backing of right-wing candidates has positioned him as one of the most politically active technology industry leaders. His funding of the Bollea v. Gawker case raised enduring questions about the intersection of wealth, media, and the legal system.

As an intellectual figure, Thiel's writings and public statements — particularly his arguments about the stagnation of technological innovation, the overvaluation of higher education, and the tension between democracy and liberty — have provoked extensive debate. His essay "The Education of a Libertarian" and his book Zero to One have influenced a generation of entrepreneurs and investors.

The revelations in 2026 regarding his firm's financial relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, alongside his continued support for controversial political candidates, have ensured that Thiel remains a subject of intense public scrutiny and debate. His career illustrates the growing entanglement of technology wealth with political power in the twenty-first century United States.