Peter Thiel
TL;DR Peter Thiel is a billionaire entrepreneur, investor, and political thinker best known for co-founding PayPal and Palantir, and for his influential role in shaping Silicon Valley’s technological and ideological landscape.
Peter Thiel by Sora
Peter Thiel is a German-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and political activist whose career has helped define the modern technology and investment industries. Born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1967, Thiel moved to the United States as a child and later studied philosophy at Stanford University, followed by a law degree at Stanford Law School. His early experiences at Stanford, where he founded The Stanford Review, a libertarian student publication, foreshadowed his lifelong interest in challenging conventional wisdom and promoting free-market ideas.
In 1998, Thiel co-founded PayPal, an online payment platform that revolutionized digital commerce by enabling secure online payments. When eBay acquired PayPal in 2002 for $1.5 billion, Thiel’s stake made him a multimillionaire and established him as one of Silicon Valley’s most influential figures. He later co-founded Palantir Technologies, a data analytics firm that serves both government and enterprise clients, focusing on security, intelligence, and data-driven decision-making.
Thiel was also the first outside investor in Facebook, purchasing a 10% stake for $500,000 in 2004, a move that would become one of the most successful tech investments of all time. Beyond his business ventures, Thiel is known for his outspoken political and philosophical views, often promoting libertarian principles and encouraging bold, long-term innovation rather than incremental progress. His book Zero to One encapsulates this philosophy, advocating for the creation of truly new technologies that reshape industries and society.
Co-founder of PayPal (1998), sold to eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion
Co-founder and Chairman of Palantir Technologies, a leading data analytics company
First external investor in Facebook (2004), turning a $500,000 investment into billions
Author of the bestselling book Zero to One, a foundational text for entrepreneurs
Founder of the Thiel Fellowship, supporting young innovators who skip college to pursue big ideas
Early backer of Founders Fund, investing in companies like SpaceX and Airbnb
Recognized as a leading contrarian thinker in technology, business, and political philosophy
Peter Thiel was one of the early backers of OpenAI, contributing funding during its 2015 formation alongside figures like Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Reid Hoffman. His support helped establish OpenAI’s original mission as a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits humanity as a whole. Thiel’s involvement reflected his long-standing interest in transformative technologies and his belief in bold, high-impact innovation. Although he was not directly involved in the company’s later operations, his early investment helped OpenAI attract top researchers and gain early momentum in the competitive field of artificial intelligence.
