2024-07-26 08:18:23
He studied philosophy and law, but modern technology brought him success and wealth. A native of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Peter Thiel is an influential figure in Silicon Valley, the US Republican Party and the Donald Trump campaign.
Thiel launched the career of Trump’s vice presidential nominee, JD Vance. In 2011, he employed him in his company and later allowed him to start his own company. When Vance ran for senator two years ago in Ohio, he received fifteen million dollars (over 350 million crowns) from Thiel for the campaign. “Peter’s speech in 2011 was the highlight of my university studies,” Vance later wrote.
Fifty-seven-year-old Thiel was behind the creation of PayPal and Palantir (a data analysis platform), was among the first major investors in Facebook, and twelve years ago sold his shares for a billion dollars. He was interested in buying Twitter eight years ago, but the deal fell through.
The libertarian expressed his support for Republicans and Trump as early as 2016, and today he is among those turning the political wheel in Silicon Valley. In the past, the big players in the IT business and technology were usually on the side of the Democrats, now it is not so clear cut. In addition to Thiel, Elon Musk, investor David Sacks, former Facebook vice president Chamath Palihapitiya and LinkedIn founder Keith Rabois, who previously called Trump a sociopath, are joining the Republicans.
Thiel defines himself as a conservative libertarian, according to some of his colleagues, he believes in the existence of the so-called Deep State, trying to secretly control the United States. For example, it invests in scientific research that attempts to extend the human lifespan and opposes limiting the development of artificial intelligence. In one of his essays, he wrote that he is not convinced that freedom is conditional on democracy.
“He is a big and respected figure in Silicon Valley. An investor who was at the birth of many things. The role of an investor in this industry is also that he speaks a lot about the functioning of the companies to which he gives money. He influenced what they focused on. In this industry marketing is important,” David Slížek, editor-in-chief of the Lupa.cz server, who deals with the Internet, technologies and start-ups, told Aktuálně.cz.
Proud gay
It was Thiel who strongly promoted JD Vance’s VP candidacy and sat next to Trump at a dinner hosted by GOP investors in California. Bloomberg and other media journalist Max Chafkin, who wrote a book about Thiel, describes the entrepreneur as a pioneer who at the same time unscrupulously pursues his own business.
“I’m a proud gay man, but most of all I’m a proud American,” Thiel said at the 2016 Republican convention, where Trump won the presidential nomination. The billionaire lives with his partner, businessman Matt Denzeisen, and they raise two children.
The Republican Party is not in favor of same-sex marriage and LGBT rights in general, yet Thiel supports the party and JD Vance, an ultra-conservative Catholic.
One point of contact is lower corporate taxes and a commitment not to limit the development of artificial intelligence, which is the agenda of Trump and the Republicans. The former president cut corporate taxes from 35 percent to 21 percent in 2017.
Thiel also shares criticism of China with Vance and Trump. Three years ago, at a Richard Nixon Foundation conference, he attacked Apple and Google for cooperating with and helping Beijing. “In China, there is no distinction between civilian and military, so Google is actually working with the Chinese military, not the US,” he said at the time.
Video: Trump chose Ohio Senator JD Vance
Trump has chosen Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate Video: Reuters