Peter Thiel
United States
Net Worth
$16B
Source of Wealth
PayPal/Palantir
Global Rank
#70 of 100
About Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel is a legendary entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and original thinker who co-founded PayPal, co-founded Palantir Technologies, and made the first outside investment in Facebook. Born in 1967 in Frankfurt, Germany, and raised in the United States, Thiel graduated from Stanford University and Stanford Law School before embarking on a career that would make him one of the most influential figures in Silicon Valley and modern technology.
Thiel co-founded PayPal in 1998, serving as its CEO and guiding it through its IPO and eventual sale to eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002. The company revolutionized online payments and spawned the legendary "PayPal Mafia" — a group of former PayPal employees who went on to found or lead companies including Tesla, LinkedIn, YouTube, Yelp, and Palantir. Thiel's $500,000 angel investment in Facebook in 2004, which bought a 10.2% stake, is widely regarded as one of the greatest venture capital investments in history, ultimately generating returns of over $1 billion.
Thiel co-founded Palantir Technologies in 2003, a data analytics company that has become essential to the U.S. intelligence community and military, as well as major corporations worldwide. Through his venture firm Founders Fund, he has backed numerous breakthrough companies including SpaceX, Airbnb, Stripe, and many others. His book "Zero to One" has become essential reading for entrepreneurs worldwide, articulating his philosophy that the most valuable companies create new things rather than copying existing ideas. Thiel is a genuinely original thinker whose contrarian approach to business and investing has consistently produced extraordinary results.
Key Achievements
Co-Founded PayPal
Co-founded and served as CEO of PayPal, revolutionizing online payments and creating a company that spawned the legendary 'PayPal Mafia' of entrepreneurs who went on to build Tesla, LinkedIn, YouTube, and more.
First Outside Investor in Facebook
Made a $500,000 angel investment in Facebook in 2004 for a 10.2% stake, widely regarded as one of the greatest venture capital investments ever made, generating over $1 billion in returns.
Co-Founded Palantir Technologies
Co-founded Palantir Technologies, which grew into a multi-billion-dollar data analytics platform essential to the U.S. intelligence community, military, and major global corporations.
Authored 'Zero to One'
Wrote 'Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future,' which became a global bestseller and essential reading for entrepreneurs, articulating a powerful philosophy of innovation and value creation.
Founders Fund Success
Through Founders Fund, backed breakthrough companies including SpaceX, Airbnb, Stripe, Spotify, and many others, establishing one of the most successful venture capital track records in Silicon Valley.
Notable Quotes
“The most contrarian thing of all is not to oppose the crowd but to think for yourself.”
— Peter Thiel
“Every moment in business happens only once. The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page will not build a search engine. If you are copying these guys, you aren't learning from them.”
— Peter Thiel
“Brilliant thinking is rare, but courage is in even shorter supply than genius.”
— Peter Thiel
Key Decisions
Co-founded PayPal (initially Confinity), creating a digital payments platform that would revolutionize online commerce and produce a generation of tech industry leaders.
Co-founded Palantir Technologies with the vision of using data analytics to solve the world's hardest problems, initially focused on counter-terrorism for the U.S. intelligence community.
Made a $500,000 angel investment in Facebook, becoming the company's first outside investor and securing a stake that would generate one of the highest returns in venture capital history.
Founded Founders Fund, a venture capital firm that would go on to back SpaceX, Airbnb, Stripe, Palantir, and dozens of other transformative technology companies.
Launched the Thiel Fellowship, offering $100,000 grants to young entrepreneurs to skip college and start companies, challenging conventional wisdom about the path to success.
Explore More
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