Peter Thiel
German-American entrepreneur and venture capitalist.
Peter Andreas Thiel was born on 11 October 1967 in Frankfurt, Germany, and moved to the U.S. as an infant. His family then relocated to South African-occupied Namibia in 1971 before returning to the U.S. in 1977. After earning degrees from Stanford University and Stanford Law School, Thiel worked as a law clerk, securities lawyer, speechwriter, and derivatives trader at Credit Suisse. In 1996, he founded Thiel Capital Management, and two years later co-founded PayPal with Max Levchin and Luke Nosek, serving as CEO until eBay acquired it for $1.5 billion in 2002. He then launched the hedge fund Clarium Capital and, in 2003, co-founded the big data analysis company Palantir Technologies, where he has remained chairman. In August 2004, Thiel became Facebook’s first outside investor, buying a 10.2% stake for $500,000. He co-founded Founders Fund in 2005, Valar Ventures in 2010, and Mithril Capital in 2012, where he chaired the investment committee. From 2015 to 2017, he was a part-time partner at Y Combinator. Thiel obtained New Zealand citizenship in 2011, a fact that sparked controversy when it became public in 2017. Through the Thiel Foundation, he oversees Breakout Labs and the Thiel Fellowship. A conservative libertarian and democracy-skeptic authoritarian by various accounts, Thiel has donated heavily to right-wing American figures and causes. Commentators often analyze his political and ideological stances, calling him a political theologian at the heart of Silicon Valley and the intellectual architect of the region’s modern ethos.
- Born
- 11 October 1967, Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany
- Field
- Entrepreneurship, venture capital, political activism
- Nationality
- German-American
- Known for
- Co-founder of PayPal, Palantir Technologies, and Founders Fund; first outside investor in Facebook
Lore & Background
Peter Thiel was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and moved to the United States as an infant. His family lived in South African-occupied Namibia from 1971 to 1977 before settling in Foster City, California. He attended a German-language school in Swakopmund that employed corporal punishment, which he said instilled a distaste for uniformity later reflected in his libertarianism. Thiel excelled in mathematics, co-founded the conservative Stanford Review while studying philosophy at Stanford, and later earned a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School. After clerking for a federal judge, he worked as a securities lawyer, a derivatives trader at Credit Suisse, and a speechwriter for William Bennett. In 1996 he founded Thiel Capital Management, and in 1998 co-founded PayPal with Max Levchin and Luke Nosek, serving as CEO until its sale to eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion. He then founded Clarium Capital, launched Palantir in 2003, and became Facebook's first outside investor in August 2004, acquiring a 10.2% stake for $500,000. He co-founded Founders Fund in 2005, Valar Ventures in 2010, and Mithril Capital in 2012. He was granted New Zealand citizenship in 2011, which became controversial when made public in 2017. Through the Thiel Foundation, he governs Breakout Labs and the Thiel Fellowship.
Reader's Guide
Peter Thiel's significance lies in his role as a foundational figure in modern technology and venture capital. As a co-founder of PayPal, he helped create a company that revolutionized online payments and spawned a network of influential entrepreneurs known as the 'PayPal Mafia.' His early investment in Facebook, acquiring a 10.2% stake for $500,000 in 2004, proved transformative for social media and generated enormous wealth. Through Palantir Technologies, founded in 2003, he advanced big data analysis for government and corporate clients. Thiel's venture capital firms—Founders Fund, Valar Ventures, and Mithril Capital—have funded numerous startups, and his part-time partnership at Y Combinator from 2015 to 2017 further extended his influence. Beyond business, Thiel has been a prominent conservative and libertarian political donor, supporting right-wing figures and causes. His views, described as both conservative libertarian and democracy-skeptic authoritarian, have been widely examined by commentators and scholars. The Thiel Foundation's grant-making bodies, including the Thiel Fellowship, reflect his interest in challenging conventional education and fostering young entrepreneurs. His New Zealand citizenship, granted in 2011 and revealed in 2017, sparked public debate about dual citizenship and residency rights for wealthy individuals.
Did You Know?
- Thiel was the first outside investor in Facebook, acquiring a 10.2% stake for $500,000 in August 2004.
- He co-founded PayPal in 1998 with Max Levchin and Luke Nosek, and served as its CEO until its sale to eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion.
- He co-founded The Stanford Review, a conservative and libertarian newspaper, in 1987 while a student at Stanford University.
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