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Peter Thiel

American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and political activist.

Peter Thiel, born in 1967, co-founded PayPal, Palantir Technologies, and Founders Fund. He was an early investor in Facebook and has a net worth of $9.7 billion. Thiel also founded Clarium Capital and has been involved in various other ventures and investments, including Valar Ventures and Mithril Capital. He is known for his controversial actions, such as obtaining New Zealand citizenship and funding the lawsuit against Gawker.

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Timeline

Birth of Peter Thiel

Peter Andreas Thiel was born on October 11, 1967, in Frankfurt am Main, West Germany. He later became a German-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and political activist.

Move to Foster City, California

Peter Thiel moved to Foster City, California when he was in fifth grade.

Thiel Family Settles in Foster City, California

The Thiels settled in Foster City, California, after living in South Africa and South West Africa (modern-day Namibia).

Peter Thiel becomes a world-ranked chess player

In 1980, Peter Thiel achieved the remarkable feat of becoming a world-ranked chess player at a young age, showcasing his strategic thinking and analytical skills.

Thiel Becomes Valedictorian

Peter Thiel became valedictorian of his graduating class at San Mateo High School in 1985.

Founding of Stanford Review newspaper

Peter Thiel co-founded the Stanford Review newspaper in 1987, which has quietly become one of the surest paths to success in Silicon Valley. The newspaper has gained a reputation for riling up the left-leaning Stanford community and has led to the formation of a large network.

Thiel's parting editor’s note at Stanford Review

In April 1989, Peter Thiel wrote a parting editor’s note at Stanford Review expressing his uncertainty about convincing people to listen, despite learning a great deal as an editor.

Peter Thiel's Clerkship Interviews

In 1990, Peter Thiel had interviews to clerk for US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy and Justice Antonin Scalia, but unfortunately, he was not successful in securing the position.

Earns Juris Doctor Degree

Peter Thiel earned his Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School in 1992.

The Diversity Myth: Multiculturalism and the Politics of Intolerance

The Independent Institute published The Diversity Myth, a book co-authored by Peter Thiel and David O. Sacks, criticizing political correctness and multiculturalism in higher education for diluting academic rigor.

In December 1998, PayPal was founded. Peter Thiel played a significant role as a co-founder of PayPal, which later became a major player in the online payment industry.

Launch of PayPal

Peter Thiel co-founded Confinity, which later became PayPal, to create a digital wallet for online payments, aiming to provide consumer convenience and security by encrypting data on digital devices.

Paul Martin's meeting with Peter Thiel

In January 2000, Paul Martin, a young Stanford University student, met with Peter Thiel at Confinity, a tech company. This meeting led to Martin dropping out of Stanford to work full-time at Confinity, which eventually became PayPal.

On February 15, 2002, PayPal was sold. This event marked a significant milestone in Peter Thiel's career as an entrepreneur and investor.

Launches Palantir Technologies

Peter Thiel launched the data analytics company Palantir Technologies in 2003.

Co-founding of Palantir

Peter Thiel helped co-found Palantir, a company that provides data analysis and integration for law enforcement agencies.

Founding of Founders Fund

In 2005, Peter Thiel set up the Founders Fund, a venture capital firm that has made significant investments in technology companies.

Thiel's Donation to Methuselah Mouse Prize Foundation

In September 2006, Peter Thiel announced that he would donate $3.5 million to foster anti-aging research through the non-profit Methuselah Mouse Prize foundation. He aims to accelerate the process of dramatically improved health and longevity for all.

Gawker publishes controversial story about Peter Thiel

On December 19, 2007, Gawker.com publishes a story with the headline 'Peter Thiel is totally gay, people.' This story is perceived as a public outing of Thiel, which is likely part of his motivation for going after Gawker in court.

Thiel's Pledge to Seasteading Institute

On 15 April 2008, Peter Thiel pledged $500,000 to the Seasteading Institute, which aims to establish permanent, autonomous ocean communities for experimentation and innovation with diverse social, political, and legal systems.

Honorary Degree from Universidad Francisco Marroquin

On 7 November 2009, Peter Thiel was awarded an honorary degree from Guatemalan Universidad Francisco Marroquin.

Creation of Thiel Fellowship

On 29 September 2010, Peter Thiel created the Thiel Fellowship, awarding $100,000 annually to young individuals under 23 to encourage them to drop out of college and start their own ventures.

Creation of Breakout Labs by Thiel Foundation

In November 2011, the Thiel Foundation announced the creation of Breakout Labs, a grant-making program to support innovative research outside of traditional institutions. It offers grants of up to $350,000 to science-focused start-ups with no strings attached.

Investment in Facebook

Peter Thiel became the first outside investor in Facebook by investing $500,000 in the company.

TechCrunch Crunchie Award for Venture Capitalist of the Year

In February 2013, Peter Thiel received a TechCrunch Crunchie Award for Venture Capitalist of the Year.

Peter Thiel's Contrarian Strategy

Peter Thiel achieved significant accomplishments in his 30s, including starting a hedge fund, co-founding Paypal, making an angel investment in Facebook, and co-founding Palantir. His successes compounded into more successes, leading to bigger wins. This was the result of 10+ years of hard work and intense focus.

Clarium Capital

Clarium Capital, co-founded by Peter Thiel, had $8 billion under management at its peak. However, Thiel made a series of bad bets on hyper-inflation in the dollar, which led to significant losses. It is uncertain if Clarium Capital is still open.

Thiel joining Y Combinator

In March 2015, Peter Thiel joined Y Combinator as one of 10 part-time partners, and in November 2017, it was reported that Y Combinator had severed its ties with Thiel.

Thiel's Backing of OpenAI

In December 2015, OpenAI announced that Peter Thiel was one of their financial backers, supporting the safe development of artificial general intelligence.

Peter Thiel's War On Gawker

On June 21, 2016, Peter Thiel's involvement in the legal battle with Gawker came to a head when a Florida jury awarded Hulk Hogan with a $115 million judgment. This event had a notable impact on media and privacy laws.

Donation in support of Donald Trump's presidential campaign

On 15 October 2016, Peter Thiel announced a $1.25 million donation in support of Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

First move in World Chess Championship 2016

On 30 November 2016, Peter Thiel made the ceremonial first move in the first tiebreak game of the World Chess Championship 2016 between Sergey Karjakin and Magnus Carlsen.

Thiel's Donation to Methuselah Mouse Prize Foundation

As of February 2017, Peter Thiel had donated over $7 million to the Methuselah Mouse Prize foundation, which fosters anti-aging research. His contributions aim to accelerate the process of dramatically improved health and longevity for all.

Marriage to Matt Danzeisen

In October 2017, Peter Thiel married his long-time partner Matt Danzeisen in Vienna, Austria.

Peter Thiel's Speech at Stanford

In January 2018, Peter Thiel delivered a speech at Stanford University, criticizing Silicon Valley's left-leaning culture for impeding progress and referring to it as 'a one-party state.'

Thiel's Criticism of Google

In 2019, Peter Thiel called Google 'seemingly treasonous' and urged a government investigation, citing Google's work with China and raising concerns about foreign intelligence agencies infiltrating the company.

Silicon Valley Bank Collapse

Peter Thiel advised his portfolio companies to withdraw their funds from Silicon Valley Bank before it collapsed in March. He also revealed that he had $50 million of his personal money in an account at the bank.

Thiel's Roth IRA Investment

It was revealed in 2021 that Peter Thiel had purchased 1.7 million founders shares in what would become PayPal using $1,700 in a Roth IRA in 1999. The rapid growth of the shares allowed him to turn his initial investment into an account worth more than $5 billion as of 2019.

Thiel's announcement to leave Meta board

On 7 February 2022, Peter Thiel announced he would not stand for re-election to the board of Facebook owner Meta at the 2022 annual stockholders' meeting and would leave after serving 17 years in order to support pro Donald Trump candidates in the 2022 United States elections.

Death of Jeff Thomas

During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Peter Thiel was in a long-term relationship with Jeff Thomas, a social media influencer, until Thomas' sudden death in March 2023.

Peter Thiel's Program to Pay Kids Not to Stay in School

Peter Thiel doubles down on his program to pay kids not to stay in school, as reported on February 24, 2024, by Business Insider India.

End of the Timeline
Peter Thiel

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